Dem Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laughed off former President Donald Trump poking fun at her failed attempt to snag a leadership role on the House Oversight Committee.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump commented that it was “really too bad” Ocasio-Cortez lost to Rep. Gerry Connolly in the bid to lead the House Democrats on the panel.
“She should keep trying,” Trump wrote. “Someday, she will be successful!”
Ocasio-Cortez had sought the position, stepping up against seasoned and senior Democrats who were considered more likely candidates for the role.
Damn you know it’s bad when even Trump is feeling bad for me 😂 pic.twitter.com/PWF6LV7PVV
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 18, 2024
“Tried my best. Sorry I couldn’t pull it through everyone — we live to fight another day,” Ocasio-Cortez shared on her BlueSky account following the loss.
Her competitor, Connolly, a 74-year-old Democrat from Virginia, secured 131 votes to her 84, earning the position decisively.
The ailing politician handily secured the win despite recently being diagnosed with esophageal cancer and planning to undergo chemotherapy during his upcoming tenure.
It’s rumored that key establishment Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, believed Connolly’s investigative expertise was critical as the party braces for the Trump administration’s return.
Pelosi, who reportedly has had a rocky history with Ocasio-Cortez, was allegedly involved behind the scenes, advocating for Connolly.
The tension between Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi isn’t new. AOC made national headlines when she unseated Pelosi ally, former Rep. Joe Crowley, in a stunning 2018 primary upset.
Following his committee win, Connolly said, “We know what the Republican playbook will be. We have seen it before. They have demonstrated that they are willing to traffic in debunked conspiracy theories and enable the worst abuses of the Trump Administration.”
“This will be trench warfare. Now is not the time to be timid. I promise the American people that our Committee Democrats will be a beacon of truth and prepared from Day One to counter Republican gaslighting,” Connolly vowed.
He also pledged to maintain “discipline” among Democrats and keep their focus squarely on “kitchen table issues.”
Not missing Trump’s jab, Ocasio-Cortez fired back on social media by posting a screenshot of his comments on her X account.
“Damn you know it’s bad when even Trump is feeling bad for me,” the New York representative quipped, accompanied by a laughing-crying emoji.
Meanwhile, Wednesday saw TV host Sunny Hostin dismiss the idea that Ocasio-Cortez is the far-left extremist Republicans often portray her to be.
Speaking on-air, Hostin remarked, “The other thing that I will say is — about AOC — she has been demonized by the Right, and she’s been demonized as this, like, too progressive far-Left person.”
“And I want to set — try to set the record straight because if she is too progressive then the Democrats really are going to lose the working class,” she added.
Hostin skirted any acknowledgment of the working class’s tilt toward President Trump, arguing instead that AOC’s platform proves she isn’t radically left.
“This is her platform, the key issues: health care for all people, affordable housing, rebuild the unions, federal job guarantee, free public college, create clean energy jobs, paid parental leave, and expand protections for the LGBTQ+ community,” Hostin listed.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin wasn’t letting that slide. She argued AOC’s stances are farther left than many Americans are comfortable with, calling her platform idealistic but impractical.
Alyssa Farah Griffin actually calls out how AOC’s Green New Deal would be catastrophic for the economy and the lies about it creating jobs: “International travel virtually impossible to do because of [airplane regulations].”
She notes Americans don’t want government healthcare. pic.twitter.com/NABxhfzzpk— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 18, 2024
“The devil is in the details,” Griffin countered. “A lot of this country does not support, for example, the Green New Deal, which would absolutely crush jobs across this country, wreak havoc on the economy, [and] would actually make international travel virtually impossible to do because of some of the regulations that it’d put in place.”
Hostin challenged Griffin’s take, asserting that the Green New Deal would generate “millions” of jobs.
However, Griffin pressed forward, claiming universal health care also alienates voters by reducing consumer choice.
Griffin concluded, “I would argue that AOC is definitely too left for the majority of the country.”
Watch the full episode here: