The American champagne socialist behind THAT 'tax the rich' dress: Here's everything you need to know about AOC – the woman who wants to ban billionaires and Bic razors (and thought Milton Keynes was an economist)

• e-mail

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is as famous as she is divisive in the United States, but the congresswoman grabbed headlines around the world on Monday after attending the Met Gala in a dress emblazoned with the words 'tax the rich.'

As some applauded the Democrat's boldness in making the statement while surrounded by rafts of millionaires, others slammed Ocasio-Cortez, 31, as a hypocrite for attending the swanky event in the first place.

The Bronx-born Democratic Socialist, often referred to by her initials AOC, has gained legions of fans and become a favourite target of Republican ire for promoting a resolutely woke agenda since becoming America's youngest ever congresswoman in 2019.

While it might seem odd to see a politician rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian on the red carpet, AOC has been adept at using her fame and social media savvy to reach voters.

Since being elected, she has appeared as a guest judge on popular competition show RuPaul's Drag Race, graced the cover of American Vogue and filmed a YouTube make-up tutorial for the magazine on how to recreate her signature red lip.

Her message and approach appeal to young, left-wing Americans, including some from immigrant families like AOC herself.

However, her staunchly progressive views are frequently met with criticism by Republicans and, at times, fellow Democrats. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is as famous as she is divisive in the United States, but the congresswoman grabbed headlines around the world on Monday after attending the Met Gala in a dress emblazoned with the words 'tax the rich.' 

As some applauded the Democrat's boldness in making a statement with her Tax the Rich dress while surrounded by rafts of millionaires, others slammed Ocasio-Cortez, 31, as a hypocrite for attending the swanky event in the first place

Pictured: Ocasio-Cortez (second from right) leaves the 2021 Met Gala on Monday with designer Aurora James (second from left), AOC's boyfriend Riley Roberts (right) and James' millionaire partner Benjamin Bronfman (left)

She is known in U.S. politics as a member of 'The Squad' - a group of four, young, racially-diverse women elected to Congress in 2018 who are among the most left-leaning voices in the Democratic Party.

The original members - AOC, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib - were joined by Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush following the 2020 election.

AOC is also notable for her humble beginnings and commitment to grassroots activism, which helped her topple a 10-year incumbent to become the representative for New York's 14th district, and win reelection in 2020.

She was born in 1989 to Sergio Ocasio-Roman, an architect, and Puerto-Rican born Blanca Ocasio-Cortez, who did secretarial and cleaning work.

In 2011, she graduated cum laude from Boston University with a joint degree in international relations and economics and worked as an activist and bartender before running for office.

Here, MailOnline gives a rundown of 30 times AOC has met with controversy during her fledgling career:

AOC's  message and approach appeal to young, left-wing Americans, including some from immigrant families like AOC herself. However, her staunchly progressive views are frequently met with criticism by Republicans and, at times, fellow Democrats

1. Bronx born and raised?

The former barmaid and waitress has always been proud of her background and her apparent working class roots in the Bronx.

She was born to Catholic parents Sergio Ocasio-Roman, an architect, and Blanca Ocasio-Cortez, who did secretarial and cleaning work.

The couple both had Puerto Rican backgrounds and AOC has regularly talked about her humble origins, saying in her campaign video: 'Women like me aren't supposed to run for office.

'I wasn't born to a wealthy or powerful family — mother from Puerto Rico, father from the South Bronx.'

But despite making regular references to her Bronx origins, it was later revealed she mostly grew up in the wealthier Westchester County. 

The future socialist star was born in the Bronx but court records show her late father bought a quaint three-bedroom in Yorktown Heights, New York in 1991, when she was about two.

The revelation was an apparent contradiction of her official biography, which states in part: 'The state of Bronx public schools in the late 80s and early 90s sent her parents on a search for a solution. 

Ocasio-Cortez's family moved to this home in Yorktown Heights, New York when she was five and lived there until she left to go to college at Boston University

The candidate's official bio (above) omits her time living in Westchester, instead claiming that her life was 'defined' by the commute between the Bronx and an upstate school

'She ended up attending public school 40 minutes north in Yorktown, and much of her life was defined by the 40 minute commute between school and her family in the Bronx.'

Initially, the young family lived in Parkchester, a planned community of 171 mid-rise brick buildings in the Bronx. 

When she was about five, Ocasio-Cortez's family moved to the house in Westchester County, a detail that the bio omits.

Ocasio-Cortez had also boasted on Stephen Colbert's late-night show that President Donald Trump, born in Queens, wouldn't know how to handle 'a girl from the Bronx' such as herself. 

Her father died in 2008, which she said changed the family's fortunes after a lengthy probate battle to settle his estate. 

2. 'Famed economist Milton Keynes'

In 2020, AOC made an awkward blunder when she mixed-up two economists while addressing the benefits of a four-day working week in a video shared on Instagram.

The economics graduate from Boston University was asked by one of her followers to discuss the practicalities of a shorter work week when she misspoke and referred to 'Milton Keynes', a commuter town in Buckinghamshire, England.

Ocasio-Cortez later said she had confused a British economist, John Maynard Keynes, with Milton Friedman, a US economist who won the 1976 Nobel Prize.

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mixed-up two economists while addressing the benefits of a four-day work week in a video shared on Instagram

John Maynard Keynes - who she intended to refer to - theorised that government spending was linked to economic growth.

He was an advocate for increased government expenditures and lower taxes in order to pull the global economy out of the depression.

Milton Friedman was an American economist who believed in free-market capitalism, and opposed the views of traditional economists like Keynes. 

3. Capitol claims 

On January 6 this year, the Democrat lawmaker was in her office in the Cannon Office Building - which was evacuated but not breached - when rioters stormed the Capitol Building 0.3 miles away. 

She said after the riots: 'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.'

AOC's office is in the Cannon House building which is 0.3 miles from the Capitol Building itself. All of the Capitol buildings were placed on lockdown but the mob only ever breached the Capitol Building 

AOC also accused Ted Cruz of almost having her 'murdered', claiming he incited the insurrection, and said she feared being 'raped' by the mob.

Right-wing pundits like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Jack Posobiec also accused the lawmaker of exaggerating her account.

Carlson, on his Fox News show, said: 'The only subject she really cares about – herself.

'There she is again. Defender of the common man, yammering on about the only subject she really cares about - herself.

'Wallowing around in Lake Me like it's interesting to anybody but her. Narcissism on parade.'

'AOC Wasn't in the Capitol Building During Her 'Near Death' Experience,' Posobiec wrote on Twitter, adding in a separate tweet that 'Maps cut through the rhetoric.'

#AOClied trended on Twitter after her initial claims about nearly dying were doubted. 

She also revealed how her fears about being raped by the Capitol protesters were sparked after she was previously the victim of a stalker, which led to her decision not to report being sexually assaulted when she was in her early 20s.

Fighting tears, she said, recalling the insurrection: 'White supremacy and patriarchy are very linked in a lot of ways. 

'There's a lot of sexualising of that violence and I didn't think that I was just going to be killed, I thought other things were going to happen to me as well.' 

CNN's Dana Bash said: 'You didn't only think you were going to die, you thought you were going to be raped?'

'Yeah, I thought I was,' Ocasio-Cortez answered nodding.

4. Billionaires should not exist

The New York congresswoman said last year it is 'wrong' for billionaires to exist in the US and her policy advisor said: 'Every billionaire is a policy failure.'

She has regularly called for huge taxes on the super-wealthy, previously saying in a public meeting in 2019 that a system that allows billionaires is 'immoral'. 

The comments sparked a backlash with Bill Gates, who supports a harsher tax on the super wealthy, saying she is 'so extreme'.

He said: 'I believe US tax rates can be more progressive. Now, you finally have some politicians who are so extreme that I'd say, 'No, that's even beyond.' You start to create tax dodging and disincentives, and an incentive to have the income show up in other countries and things.' 

5. Comparing detention centres to concentration camps

The outspoken politician sparked fury among members of the Jewish community after comparing migrant detention centres to concentration camps.

After visiting detention centres in El Paso, the US Representative for New York tweeted in summer 2019: 'These are concentration camps. According to concentration camp experts, people begin to die due to overcrowding, neglect, and shortage of resources. We saw all three of those signs on our trip yesterday. Another person died yesterday. And those are the deaths we know about.'  

 The outspoken politician sparked fury among members of the Jewish community after comparing migrant detention centres to concentration camps

 

Among the over 11,000 replies to the post, people who identified as Jewish in their Twitter bios responded to AOC with outrage over the comparison, accusing her of disrespecting Holocaust survivors.

Writer Emily Schrader tweeted: 'If you can't make your point without diminishing the memory of the Holocaust you need to re-examine your claim.' 

Joel M. Petlin, who contributes to the Jewish publication The Forward, tweeted in reply to AOC: 'As you quadruple down on the Holocaust references, please know that actual survivors of Nazi Concentration Camps are begging you to stop & instead tour a real one in Poland. I respect your passion to help those at the border but why are you not respecting Holocaust survivors?'

6. Disposable razors 

When asked by a group of schoolchildren in February 2019 what they could do to help combat climate change, AOC offered an interesting response. 

She suggested that teenagers should ditch their disposable razors and instead use safety razors.

Many were left stumped at how simply switching razors will reverse the global effects of climate change when other countries like China are pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

7. Designer socialism

Her Met Gala dress was not the first time AOC has been criticised for her expensive fashion taste despite her left-wing politics.

In December last year, she appeared on a glossy cover of Vanity Fair, wearing an array of high-end clothes, shoes and jewellery.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was on the cover of Vanity Fair in an Aliette silk suit worth around $1,000

The congresswoman was photographed in silk suits from Aliette, Loewe, Carolina Herrera, and wore Christian Louboutin heels, all of which come with hefty price tags. 

DailyMail.com revealed that she was gifted at least one of the looks - a $2,850 suit from Loewe. 

The total estimated retail cost of her outfits is more than $14,000. 

It led to criticisms that she was pushing for socialist policies while enjoying all the trappings of wealth and capitalism and flaunting them to voters. 

In one portion of the interview, she said 'dressing the part has been an unexpected struggle, but it's also a way to connect with constituents' while wearing an $800 dress and $1,450 earrings.

The 31-year-old in another image from the shoot in $2,850 Loewe suit and Christian Louboutin heels which cost $500

After a backlash, she retorted: 'Republicans are Very Mad (again) about my appearance. This time they're mad that I look good in borrowed clothes (again).

'Listen, if Republicans want pointers on looking your best, I'm happy to share. Tip #1: Drink water and don't be racist.' 

8. Unemployment figures

In 2018, AOC claimed: 'Unemployment is low because everyone has two jobs. 

'Unemployment is low because people are working 60, 70, 80 hours a week and can barely feed their family.'

At the time, only six million Americans held two jobs compared to the 148million employed in a single job, making up around four per cent of the workforce.

In 2018, she was admonished for misrepresenting unemployment figures by claiming lots of Americans were working two jobs

The proportion of workers doing two jobs was actually lower at the time than throughout most of the 1990s and 2000s.

On average, employees were working 34.5 hours a week with only a tiny portion of the population holding two full time jobs.

Even if many people were holding multiple jobs, it would not affect the employment rate as that is calculated by the number of people employed rather than the number of jobs they hold.

9. ICE beds

AOC has regularly made her feelings known about ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement body while immigrants were being separated from their families at the Mexican border.

She claimed in 2018: 'ICE is the only criminal investigative agency, the only enforcement agency in the United States that has a bed quota. 

AOC has regularly made her feelings known about ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement body

'So ICE is required to fill 34,000 beds with detainees every single night and that number has only been increasing since 2009.' 

Except that is not quite true.

ICE indeed have 34,000 beds but staff are only made to maintain them, not to fill them.

The Department of Homeland Security ordered the agency 'shall maintain a level of not less than 34,000 detention beds through September 30, 2016'.

The language had last appeared on a bill in 2016 and was eliminated in 2017, so it was also inaccurate to claim the capacity had been increasing every year.

10. Mask up for the cameras!

Last month, the firebrand Democrat was filmed putting her face mask on for a group photograph - only to whip it off a minute later during a rally on the steps of the Capitol.

The footage shows Ocasio-Cortez sitting among a group of activists fighting for an extension of the eviction moratorium without a mask on Monday.

This is the moment Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was filmed putting her face mask on for a group photograph (left) - only to whip it off a minute later (right) during a rally on the steps of the U.S. Capitol

An event organiser can then be heard telling everyone to come together on the steps of the Capitol Building before Ocasio-Cortez can be seen quickly putting a light blue face mask on. 

A minute later, in the footage captured by Breitbart News, the Democrat can be seen speaking to activists without her mask.

Ocasio-Cortez was also joined by Democrat senator Ed Markey in putting a face mask on the group photo, despite the pair going unmasked for the rest of the rally.

11. Rising crime rates? Just 'hysteria'! 

Ocasio-Ortez came under fire in June for saying the surge in violent crime rates was 'hysteria'.

Her native New York had seen a 64 per cent spike in shootings, while Portland rose 126 per cent and Los Angeles 51 per cent.  

Homicides in New York City had surged 12 per cent compared to the same time last year, according to NYPD data.

But during a Zoom meeting with New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the congresswoman said: 'We are seeing these headlines about percentage increases.

'Now, I want to say that any amount of harm is unacceptable and too much, but I also want to make sure that this hysteria, you know, that this doesn't drive a hysteria and that we look at these numbers in context so that we can make responsible decisions about what to allocate in that context.' 

12. Lies are justified 

After she was called out for spreading misinformation, AOC said it was fine because she is 'morally right'.

The Democrat regularly clashed with Trump and accused him of lying, but she justified her own falsehoods because she believed she right right. 

When she was challenged on 60 Minutes in 2019, she said: 'I think there's a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually and semantically correct than about being morally right.'

She continued: 'Whenever I make a mistake. I say, 'OK, this was clumsy.' and then I restate what my point was. 

'But it's not the same thing as the President lying about immigrants. It's not the same thing, at all.'

13. Party confusion

Back in 2019, AOC jumped to attack old, male Republicans for taking pictures with a cardboard cutout of her, not realising it was actually a fellow Democrat.

She said in a quickly deleted tweet: 'GOP: Let's pose our older male members next to cardboard cutouts of young female legislators.'

She took down the tweet after a reporter pointed out that the man in the image, John Yarmuth, is actually a Democratic representative from Kentucky, who took the picture while attending the Democratic gubernatorial primary debate.

Ocasio-Cortez apparently did not recognise the image of Yarmuth, even though he is the chairman of the Budget Committee.

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, and deleted, criticism  of older male Republican lawmakers taking photos with a cardboard cutout, not realising it was a fellow Democrat

She deleted the tweet after it was pointed out to her that the image in question was of John Yarmuth

14. Class warfare 

The rising star also made an outlandish claim that there is no such thing as the upper-middle class in America.

While trying to bash older Democrats who were stuck in the politics of the 1990s, she said her fellow party members need to change with the times and address the changing demographics.

She said in a 2018 interview: 'They [Democrats] were campaigning most when we had more of an American middle class. 

'This upper-middle class is probably more moderate but that upper-middle class does not exist anymore in America.'

But data shows the complete opposite to be the case.

The upper-middle class has grown substantially, making up 29.4 per cent of the population in 2014 compared to 12.9 per cent in 1979. 

15. Colour blind

After her shock election win against Rep. Joe Crowley, AOC visited Kansas City to help a fellow Democratic hopeful in 2018.

In a video with her fellow socialist Bernie Sanders, she called on voters to turn Kansas City red, the colour associated with Republicans.

In a video with her fellow socialist Bernie Sanders, she called on voters to turn Kansas City red, the colour associated with Republicans

She said in a video: 'Hello, everybody! So excited to be here on Sen. Sanders' account and we're here in Kansas City to rally for Brent Welder. 

'We're gonna flip this seat red in November.'

16. Miami's still standing

Two years ago, AOC offered a chilling version of the near future, warning that the city of Miami would not exist in a few years because of climate change.

But fast forward to 2021 and the Florida city is still standing strong and not yet underwater.

Trying to push her Green New Deal, she cautioned: 'What is not realistic is not responding with a solution on the scale of the crisis — because what's not realistic is Miami not existing in a few years.' 

17. Telling porkies?

Despite regularly admonishing Donald Trump for supposedly peddling lies, AOC was chastised by the Washington Post who gave her its most scathing 'Four Pinoccchios' rating for making false claims.

The Democrat incorrectly said the Pentagon had wasted $21trillion that could have paid for two thirds of all Medicare costs.

In fact, the entire budget for the Pentagon over 17 years was about $8.5trillion.

The Democratic congresswoman is a member of the 'Squad', a group of radical new leftist politicians

18. Medicare misunderstanding

A number of Democrats cited a study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, which receives funding from the Koch Foundation, claiming Bernie Sanders' Medicare-for-all plan would lower the country's health costs.

They said the study found overall health expenditures would drop by $2trillion with the plan. 

But the Mercatus Center said this would be an 'unlikely outcome' and it is more probably that the plan would see government spending rise by $33trillion.

Despite this, AOC claimed: 'In a Koch brothers-funded study — if any study's going to try to be a little bit slanted, it would be one funded by the Koch brothers — it shows that Medicare for all is actually much more, is actually much cheaper than the current system that we pay right now.'

19. Oil glee

The upstart politician was forced to delete a tweet last year saying 'you absolutely love to see it' while celebrating the price of oil crashing.

The Democrat quickly removed the post after being criticised for celebrating job losses, but still used the economic collapse to plug her Green New Deal.

The price of U.S. oil crashed into negative for the first time in history in April 2020 as demand dried up and producers paid buyers to take barrels off their hands.

The cost to have a barrel of U.S. crude delivered plummeted to negative $37.63. It was at roughly $60 at the start of the year.

AOC  removed the post but still used the economic collapse to plug her Green New Deal

'You absolutely love to see it,' Ocasio-Cortez replied to a post which said: 'Oil prices now at 'negative values,' meaning oil producers have to pay people to take it off their hands and store it because when demand plunges (like now), that is less expensive for them than building more storage and/or shutting wells down.'

Representative Jodey Arrington, a Republican from Texas, hit back: 'I don't 'love to see' oil & gas workers & their rural communities suffering as a result of this devastating price collapse, @AOC.

'Places like West Texas & hard-working men & women in the oil patch power the bright lights of NYC... including the hospitals!'

20. Flogging socialist merchandise

AOC was mocked in December for selling a $58 sweatshirt with the slogan 'tax the rich'. 

The socialist, who enjoys a six-figure congressional income, shared a link to the jersey writing: 'Preorders are open now. As always, made in the US with dignified, union jobs paying living wages.'

The democratic socialist, 31, who enjoys a six-figure congressional income, shared a link to the now sold out jersey

But the cost of the blue sweater was noted by many online, particularity given AOC has become one of the most well-known voices of the American left.  

Author and podcaster Ben Shapiro wrote: 'Only the rich can afford this idiotic sweatshirt.'

Others noted the pricey piece was the 'most AOC thing ever' and said they 'couldn't afford' the clothing.

She later hit back, saying the cost is justified because 'we don't use slave-wage labour'. 

21. Generation games

AOC  sparked fierce backlash with 'tone-deaf' comments about young Americans being more 'informed' and 'willing to go to the streets' to protest than older generations 

The New York Democrat boldly praised 'badass' millennials and Gen Z-ers in an Instagram Live video in August 2019 after a viewer asked her if the 'new generation' is 'too delicate'. 

As clips from her lengthy response made the rounds on social media, critics accused her of insulting older Americans and senselessly crediting her generation with inventing political protest.  

Ocasio-Cortez was slammed for overlooking some of the most influential movements in American history, such as the Vietnam War protests and push for racial equality in the 1960s.  

During the livestream Ocasio-Cortez stated that she didn't 'want to paint everybody with a broad brush' before making a number of statements that did just that.  

'I think young people are more informed and dynamic than their predecessors,' she said of her peers. 

'I think they're profoundly courageous, because they're willing to puncture more taboos and have conversations that, frankly, older generations sometimes struggle to have.'  

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparked fierce backlash when she asserted that young Americans are 'more informed' and 'willing to go to the streets' to protest than older generations

She continued: 'I think this new generation is very profound and very strong and very brave, because they're actually willing to go to the streets. How 'bout that?

'Previous generations have just assumed that [the] government's got it. Let me tell you something: You are the government. As a democracy, we the people means you.'

Ocasio-Cortez also asserted that younger generations have a better understanding of history than previous ones.  

'They actually take time to read and understand our history, the history of the labour movement, history of civil rights, history of economics, history of the United States, history of colonialism, and they're not afraid to have those conversations,' she said. 

22. 'Surge' of criticism 

The left-wing darling was criticised after telling her supporters to stop calling the record number of migrants arriving at the border a 'surge', as it places the crisis in a 'militaristic frame'. 

During a lengthy Instagram Live session in March this year, AOC implored people to exercise caution with how they described the border crisis.

AOC told her massive Instagram following that the use of the word surge to describe the border crisis was placing the border crisis in a 'militaristic frame'

'They wanna say, 'But what about the surge?' Well, first of all, just gut check, stop. Anyone who's using the term 'surge' around you consciously is trying to invoke a militaristic frame.' 

'And that's a problem because this is not a surge, these are children and they are not insurgents and we are not being invaded, which by the way is a white supremacist idea-philosophy, the idea that if another is coming in the population that this is an invasion of who we are,' the congresswoman said.   

Critics have labelled the comments 'peak AOC', and ridiculed her for not knowing the difference between the word 'surge' and 'insurgent'. 

Tom Bevan, the co-founder of conservative political news site Real Clear Politics, said: 'Not knowing the difference between the meaning of 'surge' and 'insurgent' - and then using it as a talking point about white supremacy - is peak AOC.' 

Journalist Tim Pool, who describes himself as a 'disaffected liberal' in his Twitter bio, posted: 'It's like no matter what happens she has some half-brained complaint that has nothing to do with what's going. 'Surge' is racist? What the f*** do you even do?'

And Fox News contributor Tom Homan said the people who know the situation best, Border Patrol, are calling it a surge. 

He said: 'The men and women of the Border Patrol say it's a surge. The men and women at the Border Patrol say it's a crisis. The men and women of the Border Patrol know that these cartels are using these children and family units to drive them across the border and tie up their assets.

'This is a national security crisis. If [Ocasio-Cortez] can't understand that or accept that, then she shouldn't be in Congress at all.'

23. Stalled in Congress

In April, AOC was ranked among the least effective members of the last Congress, according to a study from a nonpartisan group.

While AOC introduced 21 'substantive' bills to Congress, her legislation failed to progress any further, according to the Center for Effective Lawmaking - a joint project between Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia. 

None of the legislation received action in committees, floor votes, nor became law, according to the data collected from Congress.gov.  

Ocasio-Cortez ranked 230th out of 240 Democrats across the country and was dead last among the 19 that are in the state of New York.

Bills that failed for AOC included her federal overhaul of public housing, a ban on fracking and a mandate to provide full federal public benefits to undocumented immigrants.

24. Crime sympathies

Before suggesting the rising crime rate was little more than 'hysteria', AOC said the surge in violence was due to 'desperate' people 'stealing bread to feed their children'.  

She asked: 'Do we think this has to do with the fact that there's record unemployment in the United States right now? 

'The fact that people are at a level of economic desperation that we have not seen since the Great Recession?'

Asked about the uptick in crime the congresswoman added: 'Maybe this has to do with the fact that people aren't paying their rent and are scared to pay their rent.

'And so they go out, and they need to feed their child and they don't have money so they feel like they either need to shoplift some bread or go hungry.'

This was despite New York enacting an eviction moratorium for renters during the pandemic, with a spike in violent crimes like shootings and murders.

25. 12 years and counting

In 2019, AOC claimed we have 12 years left to save the world and address climate change before we are all doomed.

In 2019, AOC claimed we have 12 years left to save the world and address climate change before we are all doomed 

She wrote: 'Climate change is here + we've got a deadline: 12 years left to cut emissions in half. A #GreenNewDeal is our plan for a world and a future worth fighting for.' 

She repeated the claims in a live stream and mocked critics who rebuffed the claim as a joke, making it clear she was serious about the figure.

She said: 'We have 12 years left to cut emissions by at least 50 per cent, if not more, and for everyone who wants to make a joke about that, you may laugh, but your grand kids will not.'

But the politician then backtracked saying her comments were 'dry humour' that everyone shouldn't take so literally.

The politician then backtracked saying her comments were 'dry humour' that everyone shouldn't take so literally 

26. Encouraging children to skip meat and dairy

The lawmaker recommended that schoolchildren avoid meat and dairy in a bid to avert the climate crisis.

She tweeted: 'Give your tummy a break! Skip meat/dairy for a meal (easiest is bfast, I do banana & peanut butter).'

The advice fell on deaf ears for many, with some saying a healthy balanced diet was the most important thing for children.

27. Don't have children!

Unlike China, the US has not had a one child policy, but AOC suggested that parenthood is morally unjustifiable due to climate change.

She said: 'There is scientific consensus that the lives of young children are going to be very difficult. And it does lead, I think, young people to have a legitimate question – you know, should, is it okay to still have children?'

She also bemoaned the high cost of college for the current generation but said there is a 'moral obligation' to leave a healthy planet to children.  

'I mean not just financially because people are graduating with 20-30,000 dollars worth of student loan debt so they can't even afford to have kids in the house, but also just this basic moral question – like what do we do? 

'And even if you don't have kids there are still children here in the world and we have a moral obligation to them and to leave a better world for them.'  

28. Silencing critics

In 2019, AOC was sued for blocking a critic on Twitter, shortly after the president was told he was in violation of the First Amendment for blocking his detractors.

The Democrat publicly apologised for having blocked former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind after losing a legal battle.

He had claimed she violated his first amendment rights, saying he was blocked after condemning AOC's comparison of migrant detention centres to concentration camps.

The judge who decided that case said: 'The First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilises a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees.' 

29. Amazon own goal

Tech giants Amazon planned to open a hub in New York dubbed HQ2, giving jobs to 25,000 people.

But AOC campaigned against the move and eventually destroyed the deal in 2019, with one investor calling her 'financially illiterate'.

The development would have received $3billion in tax breaks and the politician said the government should not be pumping money into a company as wealthy as Amazon.

Columnist Marc Thiessen said that 'by helping to drive Amazon away, she did not save New York $3billion she cost New York $27billion'.

Amazon later confirmed a site in New York anyway without the tax breaks, but the office was much smaller with only 1,500 workers.

She gloated about the decision despite the huge job gains New York missed out on because of her campaigning.

30. Pricey haircuts

The young lawmaker was forced to defend her expensive haircut after forking out $312 on a plush Washington DC salon.

Ocasio-Cortez received an $80 haircut and $180 low light treatment at Last Tangle Salon. With a 20 per cent tip, the total came out to more than $300. 

It led to criticisms she was 'preaching socialism while living the life of the privileged'. 

The average cost of a highlight or lowlight dye in America is $80, but can go upwards of $300 in the D.C. metro area, where Ocasio-Cortez and other lawmakers live while Congress is in session. 

The national average for a women's haircut is $43, but in D.C. it usually ranges between $70 to upwards of $125.

But the Washington Times pointed out that if AOC would have gone to a government-subsidised barbershop on Capitol Hill she would have spent around $100 less for the same haircut.