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As political and technological worlds often collide in today's digital age, the latest tiff between Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and tech mogul Elon Musk stands as a testament to the evolving landscape of public discourse.
A Heated Exchange
Ocasio-Cortez, commonly referred to as AOC, responded to Musk's visit to the southern border by sharing her thoughts on the "X" social media platform. She wrote, “I wasn’t born rich and became the youngest woman in American history to be elected to Congress”.
Highlighting her accomplishments, she continued, “I investigated [former Trump lawyer Michael] Cohen, authored the largest FEMA funeral assistance program in history, and led the creation of a US Climate Corps to create tens of thousands of new jobs”.
Ending her post with a strong note, she added, “Stay mad,” and an emoji depicting a woman tipping her hand. The post clearly struck a chord with her audience, amassing over 106,000 likes, 14,000 comments, and 8,500 reposts.
AOC's enormous follower base, consisting of more than 13.2 million users on the platform once known as Twitter, showcases the reach and influence she holds. Musk, who now owns the "X" platform after a $44 billion acquisition, didn't let Ocasio-Cortez's comments go unanswered.
He responded, "I take it back — you’re obviously a genius”. The billionaire's retort only added fuel to the ongoing debate.
Questioning Priorities
Amid this virtual face-off, AOC also took aim at Republican Rep.
Tony Gonzalez. She criticized him for accompanying Musk rather than attending crucial votes in DC. She expressed her dismay, saying, “The House is holding important votes in DC tonight, people are scrambling to avoid a shutdown, but this Republican Congressman decided to skip town to joyride with a billionaire when his own party has just a single-digit margin and needs his vote”.
The underlying tension here seems to revolve around the handling of the migrant crisis and where priorities should lie. While AOC's focus appears to be on holding fellow politicians accountable, some critics argue she should pay equal attention to border security itself.