There is no doubt about it, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(NY-14) is the most talked about freshman in Congress, perhaps ever. From the day she surprised pollsters to win her primary to the day she danced into her office, she is a Congresswomen that invokes some strong opinions from both sides of the aisle. Her first sit-down TV interview since taking the oath of office is also making news. She spoke with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes about everything from sexism to whether she believes Donald Trump is a racist.
.@AOC says the president is a racist, “no question.” The White House told 60 Minutes that President Trump “has repeatedly condemned racism and bigotry in all forms.” https://t.co/HmucF1z6zg pic.twitter.com/N5RlRfHoA9
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 7, 2019
Opponents seems to revel in picking apart things like her plans for renewable energy and her proposal to raise taxes. During the interview she touched on the idea that the wealthiest people pay a much bigger share of the tax pool saying:
“Once you get to, like, the tippy-tops– on your ten-millionth dollar– sometimes you see tax rates as high as 60% or 70%. that doesn’t mean all $10 million are taxed at an extremely high rate, but it means that as you climb up this ladder, you should be contributing more.”
As for the insinuation that she is radical, Ocasio-Cortez says:
“I think that it only has ever been radicals that have changed this country. Abraham Lincoln made the radical decision to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the radical decision to embark on establishing programs like social security…. If that’s what radical means, call me a radical.”
The criticism isn’t just coming from Republicans either, she is also already making some waves in her own party.
New Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is understandably at odds with Republicans, but she also doesn't always see eye to eye with her own party. https://t.co/LEfZ7KWKTD pic.twitter.com/c4WGA1TrDh
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 7, 2019
See what else she says about this above and watch the full interview here.