At a rally in Nampa, Idaho, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez found herself once again at the center of the political media tornado—this time, not just for her fiery remarks targeting former President Donald Trump, but for what many on social media are calling her newest “fake accent.”
Speaking alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders at an event dubbed “Fighting Oligarchy,” AOC didn’t hold back: “Donald Trump is a criminal who was found guilty of 34 felony counts of fraud, liable for sexual abuse.” She followed with a rhetorical flourish accusing Trump of “manipulating the stock market,” and closed with: “When he talks about rapists and criminals, he should look in the mirror.”
🚨AOC is pretending to have some sort of strange accent.
This is exactly what Kamala Harris did on the campaign trail.
Why do they do this? pic.twitter.com/lXpOClW1rh
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 15, 2025
But the comments weren’t the only headline-grabber. According to many online observers, her delivery took a bizarre turn. Video clips quickly circulated on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting a twang and cadence that seemed foreign to the Bronx-born congresswoman. Within hours, she was trending—not just for the accusations, but for what critics labeled “cringe theater.”
This is not the first time AOC has been accused of “code-switching” or changing her accent based on her audience. Back in 2019, she faced backlash for using what critics called a “blaccent” while addressing Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. More recently, she adopted an oddly Southern drawl during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—a move that left even some on the left scratching their heads.
Socialist AOC busts out that SOUTHERN TWANG!
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 20, 2024
While defenders argue it’s natural for speakers to adapt to their audience or emotional tone, critics have long viewed AOC’s shifts as opportunistic and pandering. This latest incident adds more fuel to that argument.
Perhaps more legally significant than the accent are the claims AOC made about Trump. Her assertion that the former president is a “rapist” raises red flags. ABC News was recently forced to pay a $15 million settlement after George Stephanopoulos made a similar statement on air. The underlying issue here is that Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation—not criminally convicted of rape. For public figures, mischaracterizing civil liability as a criminal conviction is risky territory, especially in today’s litigious climate.
Ocasio-Cortez speaks in an accent that she never uses while telling a room of predominately black people that there is nothing wrong with them folding clothes, cooking, and driving other people around on a bus for a living. pic.twitter.com/FIbIAPokt0
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 5, 2019