Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a message for her progressive supporters after President-elect Trump’s large election win: Hunker down.
Acknowledging that many on the left are shell-shocked by the breadth of Trump’s win, the firebrand Bronx/Queens lawmaker informed her followers to take a seat tight whereas the left regroups and figures out how finest to push again.
“What happened is so massive that it’s going to take just a second,” she mentioned in a collection of quick movies posted on Instagram. “It’s coming but it’s going to take a second.”
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and US Consultant Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Democrat of New York, make a cease at Outdated San Juan Cafe as she campaigns in Studying, Pennsylvania, on November 4, 2024. (Photograph by SAMUEL CORUM/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Ocasio-Cortez prompt diving into grassroots teams of every kind as folks search to climate what could also be a right-wing political storm unleashed by Trump.
“My recommendation is to join and enter community, like your church or knitting circle or mosque or temple,” she mentioned, including plugs for left-wing political teams just like the Working Households Occasion and Democratic Socialists of America.
After Trump’s earlier presidential victory in 2016, there was a way more instant and unified response from the left than seems to be occurring this time.
This time, progressive and Democratic activists have been shocked by Trump profitable the nationwide in style vote and sharply rising his share of the vote even in deep blue strongholds like New York Metropolis.
Ocasio additionally posted responses from a few of her 8.1 million followers to her query about why a few of them voted for Trump whereas nonetheless supporting her or different Democrats down the poll. Some talked about Israel’s warfare in Gaza however many centered on the anger working folks really feel.
“I’m LISTENING,” she wrote. “Sometimes you gotta dig in and see it to understand and adapt!”
Ocasio-Cortez predicted that many People who voted for Trump or didn’t vote in any respect can have an disagreeable awakening after they see the impression of his insurance policies on their lives and their communities.
She mentioned few voters perceive the dimensions of Trump’s threats to deport tens of millions of undocumented immigrants or that tariffs like these Trump has threatened to impose on imported items could be paid by the importer and handed on to customers.
With out naming names, Ocasio-Cortez denounced among the nasty finger-pointing that has erupted in left-wing circles over what went flawed.
She referred to as on progressives to place their heads down as an alternative of seeking to impose their most popular options for particular supposed shortcomings.
“We’re in a cultural moment where there’s a certain cache from being a a–hole,” Ocasio-Cortez added. “We’ve seen it on the right but we also see it on the left. A lot of people use righteous causes or issues to let loose their worst impulses.”