AOC Urges Democrats: Become ‘Working Class Brawlers’ to Defeat Trumpism!

This week, as Democratic legislators faced the reality of President Donald Trump’s second term, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called on her party to leverage Trump’s allegiance to billionaires and corporations—a sharp contrast to his campaign persona as a working-class hero—as a call to arms for Democrats to truly advocate for “everyday people.”

In an interview with Jon Stewart on “The Weekly Show” podcast, Ocasio-Cortez emphasized the need for Democrats to sever their own billionaire ties first.

She highlighted Trump’s connections with tech moguls like Elon Musk, his intentions to extend the 2017 tax cuts benefiting the wealthy, and his pre-election promises to deregulate industries such as oil as key issues Democrats could oppose. “These are avenues we can use to fight back,” Ocasio-Cortez stated.

The congresswoman stressed the importance of direct communication. “Democrats need to genuinely embody and voice the concerns of the people,” she remarked. She pointed out the “incredible hypocrisy” within politics, which she believes is exploited by Republicans.

She called attention to the issue of “insider trading” among Congress members, who, privy to non-public information about various industries, can unfairly profit from stock market transactions. According to a December report by Common Dreams, Congress members traded up to $113 million in shares from Pentagon contractors last year alone, with Democrats like Josh Gottheimer, Nancy Pelosi, and Suzan Delbene being the most active traders. While Pelosi has defended such trading, Ocasio-Cortez has been vocally opposed.

“People aren’t fools,” Ocasio-Cortez told Stewart bluntly. “Can we really pretend that corruption only affects Republicans? That’s absurd.”

Ocasio-Cortez noted Trump’s ironic increase in support from working-class voters despite his Supreme Court’s stance against labor rights and his party’s opposition to raising the minimum wage and protecting workers’ rights to organize.

Meanwhile, wealthier voters have begun to lean more towards Democrats, as seen in the recent support for Democratic former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Ocasio-Cortez’s solution is clear: “We need to become a party that fiercely champions working-class issues.”

“We’ve been too focused on courting affluent voters while hoping working-class people won’t notice the concessions we’re making,” she added.

The congresswoman, who has been a vocal advocate for the Green New Deal, expanding Medicare, and supporting tuition-free college, shared these views amid reports from Semafor that Democratic leaders are unsure about how to approach resistance to Trump’s Cabinet.

“The party is clearly struggling with its direction,” a Democratic senator admitted to the outlet. Jesse Brenneman from the “Know Your Enemy” podcast commented, “The Democrats’ confusion over their next steps speaks volumes about their priorities.”

The day after Trump’s inauguration, Ocasio-Cortez reiterated her message in an email to supporters. She criticized the presence of tech billionaires at the inauguration and warned supporters, “We’re all being conned. What are we going to do about it?”

“With Trump’s agenda firmly in place, backed by billionaire right-wing donors, our push for genuine progress must intensify more than ever over the next four years,” she concluded.