Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says There's 'No Question' That President Trump Is a Racist
Just days after being sworn into the 116th Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old Democratic socialist who's now become the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, appeared on 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper.
During the interview, Ocasio-Cortez discussed her political strategy, her hope for a Green New Deal, and how people have reacted to her platform-including how some have said that she will push the Democratic Party too far left. When Cooper introduced Ocasio-Cortez, he noted that she’s been described as an “inspiring, idealistic insurgent” as an “naive and ill-informed newcomer.”
The new Congresswoman told Cooper, "I would rather lose on my values than win on compromising who I am." She continued, "Let’s say I’m only in Congress for two years. If we can radically change the conversation, then we can potentially accomplish more in two years than many people are able to shape the conversation in 10."
Below, what she had to say on a number of issues.
On President Donald Trump
When asked why she doesn't talk about President Trump much, Ocasio-Cortez said it's because she believes he's only a symptom of a larger problem. "The president certainly didn't invent racism," she said. "But he's certainly given a voice to it and expanded it and created a platform for those things." When asked if she believes Trump is a racist, she said, "Yeah. Yeah. No question."
She then expanded: "When you look at the words that he uses, which are historic dog whistles of white supremacy. When you look at how he reacted to the Charlottesville incident, where neo-Nazis murdered a woman versus how he manufactures crises, like immigrants seeking legal refuge on our borders, it's night and day."
On Quality of Life for Americans
Ocasio-Cortez started running her campaign while she was still working as a waitress and bartender in Manhattan. According to 60 Minutes, at the time, she was still paying student loans and had no health insurance, and she says she understands people's frustration when politicians report that the economy is doing well but they are still trying to make ends meet. While Cooper pointed out that unemployment is at record lows, Ocasio-Cortez says she doesn't believe that tells the whole story: "When you can't provide for your kids working a full-time job, working two full-time jobs, when you can't have healthcare, that is not dignified."
On Occupying Nancy Pelosi's Office
Before she was even sworn in, during orientation in D.C., Ocasio-Cortez visited climate change activists who were occupying now-speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office. She was the only new congresswoman who went, calling upon Pelosi to create a select committee on climate change made up of only members of Congress who do not accept money from the fossil fuel industry. She told Cooper she "could've thrown up that morning" and that she was nervous, but she just kept thinking that what the activists were fighting for wasn’t wrong.
"And I had also sat down with Leader Pelosi beforehand and she told me her story," she said. "She came from activism. And I knew that she would absolutely understand how advocacy can change the needle on really important issues."
On the "Green New Deal"
In a clip that was released prior to Sunday night's 60 Minutes episode, Ocasio-Cortez talked about her and climate change activists' goal to have zero carbon emissions and zero fossil fuel use in 12 years. Cooper brought up that the plan would require raising taxes and that her plan is a "radical agenda compared to the way politics is done right now." In response, Ocasio-Cortez said that she believes it's only ever been radicals that have created change in the United States and that she's fine with the label.
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