How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beats Trump at his Twitter game
The American congresswoman has become the unofficial queen of social media
February 13, 2019
In the four months since she became the youngest woman ever elected to the US Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, has won over many hearts with her approach to social media.
Within eight months, she's gained more than 2.6 million followers on Twitter alone. And while President Trump has 58.2 million followers, Ocasio-Cortez has a much higher engagement. Her 2.8 per cent overshadows Trump's meagre 0.2 per cent (the same as Hillary Clinton, incidentally), The Guardian reports.
In fact, she's seen a 600 per cent increase in Twitter followers since June 2018.
Why? Because she speaks the language of this generation. And that is very, very rare.
Tweets we love
We're not just talking emojis, either. She taps into all the big topics, from climate change to women's rights and gun control.
Don’t mess with our future.
When it comes to climate, it’s all our lives at stake. The younger you are, the more consequences you’ll see.
It’s life and death for us.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 13, 2019
She pokes fun at Congress and Fox News, calls out Republicans.
Oh no! They discovered our vast conspiracy to take care of children and save the planet 😂 pic.twitter.com/XYWXmi3Xyk
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 14, 2018
And she uses phrases like "slaying lewks".
a) The alt-right doesn’t seem to understand the concept of magazine shoots
b) You don’t get to keep the clothes, duh
c) I don’t “pretend” to fight for a Living Wage & Medicare for All. I do it.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 15, 2018
The fact that she's from a working-class background and grafted as a waitress also makes people warm to her.
At 22, I was working w/ children + communities.
At 25, I was waitressing to support my family.
At 28, I won my primary for Congress. I didn’t have health insurance.
Today I turn 29.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 13, 2018
And while she's clearly all for equal rights for women, and unafraid to stand up to her male counterparts (as clearly seen in the below Tweet), she's also happy to talk about more frivolous topics, such as her skincare routine, which she shared in extensive detail with her 2.4 million followers on Instagram.
Just like catcalling, I don’t owe a response to unsolicited requests from men with bad intentions.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 10, 2018
She's also a whizz at working the emojis, knowing exactly when they are appropriate to use.
Sure, ‘mobilizing the economy to save our planet from irreparable global catastrophe’ SOUNDS nice, but will it play well in the Midwest? 🤔 https://t.co/L9N2KkuYBE
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 9, 2019
Trump, take note, because Ocasio-Cortez is relatable, hard-working, hilarious and, more importantly, she's got all the millennials on side. Respect the hustle.
Some folks are saying I won for “demographic” reasons.
1st of all, that’s false. We won w/voters of all kinds.
2nd, here’s my 1st pair of campaign shoes. I knocked doors until rainwater came through my soles.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 29, 2018
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Updated: February 13, 2019 04:18 PM
