"AOC sucks" chant breaks out as Donald Trump Jr. smiles at rally
A chant against progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as "AOC," broke out during President Trump's rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan Thursday night. Donald Trump Jr. was blasting the first-year congresswoman's policies when the crowd started chanting "AOC sucks" — leaving him grinning as the rally cries grew louder.
Trump Jr., who regularly slams critics of his father on Twitter, took aim at the congresswoman from New York while criticizing 2020 Democratic presidential candidates for supporting her wide-ranging climate change proposal, the Green New Deal.
"Think about the fact that every mainstream, leading Democratic contender is taking the advice of a freshman congresswoman who three weeks ago didn't know the three branches of government," he said. "I don't know about you guys, but that's pretty scary."
As the chant against Ocasio-Cortez grew louder, Trump Jr. smiled before telling the crowd: "You are not very nice," adding, "And neither is what that policy would do to this country."
Trump Jr. appeared to be referring to the Green New Deal, which was introduced by Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts. It calls for drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and would move the nation to 100 percent renewable energy. In addition to other environmental priorities, the resolution also calls for universal health care and infrastructure investment. Earlier this week, the Senate failed to pass a procedural vote on the legislation.
Ocasio-Cortez soared to political stardom in less than a year, drawing an onslaught of criticism from conservatives, but 38 percent of voters surveyed in a recent Quinnipiac poll don't know enough to form an opinion about her. Twenty-three percent rated her favorably, while 36 percent had an unfavorable opinion. Among Republicans, her favorable rating was just 2 percent.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted about the poll results and appeared to blame Fox News for the negative results.
"It's almost as though there is a directed + concerted far-right propaganda machine with a whole cable news channel, and a dark-money internet operation propped up by the Mercers et al dedicated to maligning me & stoking nat'l division, reported on by @JaneMayerNYer or something," she wrote.
Thursday's rally was the president's first campaign rally since Attorney General William Barr released his summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's two-year investigation, which did not establish the Trump campaign "colluded or coordinated" with the Russian government's election interference effort. During the rally, Mr. Trump went further, claiming the "total" and "complete" exoneration of his presidency.