Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is having quite the year.
Since becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress in 2018, Ocasio-Cortez has set out to find her footing in American politics. So far this year she's made a fair number of profoundly eloquent speeches on the House floor, gotten real about climate change by sponsoring the Green New Deal, publicly challenged several of Donald Trump's actions, and more.
But she's also taken the time to have some good, old-fashioned fun. In the midst of her busy schedule, Ocasio-Cortez taught fellow Democrats how to use Twitter, trolled the GOP, and even hung out with the cast of Queer Eye, too.
As the 29-year-old continues to make a powerful impression on the American people, let's look back at 12 of her best 2019 moments so far.
1. Her reaction to the Breakfast Club drama
Ocasio-Cortez's year kicked off with a petty dose of drama after the GOP criticized an old video that showed her doing the famous Breakfast Club dance when she was in college. *gasp* The congresswoman responded to the backlash accordingly, and by that, we mean she recorded a present-day video of herself dancing into her brand new office.
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2. That time she called Trump a racist
When asked if people think Donald Trump is a racist, many avoid answering the question directly. Not Ocasio-Cortez, though. In a January interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS's 60 Minutes, when asked if she believes Trump's a racist, the congresswoman shook her head and said, "Yeah, yeah, no question."
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3. The first speech she made on the House floor
In January, Ocasio-Cortez also made her first speech on the House floor during President Trump's government shutdown. The congresswoman addressed the 35-day-long shutdown (the longest in America's history) directly, and the speech reportedly broke a C-SPAN streaming record on Twitter.
4. Her massive Post-it wall
Shortly after Ocasio-Cortez took office, several of her supporters left positive messages of thanks and encouragement on Post-it notes outside of her office. By February, the wall of Post-its had grown so massive that the congresswoman had to move the notes inside her office. The people stan AOC.
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5. The Cohen hearing stare
Michael Cohen publicly testified before Congress in February. In addition to comments he made about President Trump, Stormy Daniels, and the Trump Tower Russia deal, we also got a badass photo of Ocasio-Cortez with fellow Democratic representatives, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. Just look at those withering stares. Iconic.
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6. Her Big Pharma speech
Another powerful Ocasio-Cortez speech happened in February when she attempted to take on Big Pharma. The congresswoman asked a series of in-depth questions about public investment return on the development of drugs, and raised a big discussion online.
7. When she exposed America's broken campaign finance system
And then there was the time she played a five-minute, lightning round "Corruption Game" with members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She wound up masterfully exposing America's flawed campaign finance system. NBD.
8. Her Green New Deal defense
In March, AOC memorably defended the Green New Deal to the Senate after the plan was rejected by a vote of of 57-0. Ocasio-Cortez powerfully addressed concerns that the deal was "elitist" by bringing up issues from the water in Flint, Michigan, to kids in the Bronx with childhood asthma.
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9. When she called out Jared Kushner
In April, when responding to reports that Jared Kushner used WhatsApp to speak with foreign leaders about sensitive, government-related information, Ocasio-Cortez asked, "What is next, putting nuclear codes in Instagram DMs?" 🔥
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10. When she hung out with the Queer Eye cast
In between speaking before House committees and carrying out her congressional duties, AOC took some time to hang out with four members of the Fab Five: Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Bobby Berk. Can you believe?
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11. When she got real about student loans
AOC recently announced that she's teaming up with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and Rep. Ilhan Omar to forgive student loans and ensure college will be tuition-free.
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12. When she subpoenaed Kellyanne Conway
AOC also visited The Late Show in June to explain to Stephen Colbert why she subpoenaed White House staffer Kellyanne Conway. (Spoiler alert: Conway skipped work.)
We can't wait to see what other power moves Ocasio-Cortez will make in 2019.
Topics Politics
