New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized billionaire Elon Musk on X after Musk questioned the legitimacy of the crowd at her recent rally in Denver with Bernie Sanders.
Musk echoed a claim made by right-wing host Mario Nawfal, who alleged that a rally in Denver last week, featuring Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, was attended primarily by professional left-wing protesters affiliated with funded organizations.
Nawfal cited purported GPS data to not only support his claim but also to cast doubt on the reported crowd size.
Musk amplified Nawfal's conspiracies when he retweeted them to his followers and added:
"The Dems just move around the same group of paid “protesters.""
You can see his post below.
Ocasio-Cortez quickly responded to shut him down:
"Someone's butthurt. At the very least you can find a new, more interesting conspiracy theory to peddle."
You can see her post below.
Many appreciated her response, criticizing Musk themselves.
Democrats have found it challenging to effectively respond to President Donald Trump, Musk, and congressional Republicans following their defeat in last year’s election.
Polling indicates that approval of the party and its congressional representatives is at record lows. However, Sanders' and Ocasio-Cortez's efforts seem to be gaining traction with many across the country. Tens of thousands of people have turned out at their rallies, which are part of the "Fight the Oligarchy" tour, across multiple states.
This past Thursday, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez addressed a crowd of about 15,000 people in Phoenix, according to Sanders' communications director, Anna Bahr.
Photos and videos from the event depicted a packed Mullett Arena at Arizona State University, with the Arizona Mirror reporting that the crowd size was larger than that of Trump’s rally in the same venue the previous year.
Ocasio-Cortez is increasingly considered by some Democrats as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. Recent CNN polling ranked her in first place among potential 2028 Democratic candidates with 10% support. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump last year, was in second place with 9%, while Sanders followed in third with 8% support.
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