By Michael Katz | Monday, 19 August 2024
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a member of the far-left wing "Squad" of House Democrats and a frequent GOP antagonist, laid into former President Donald Trump on Monday night as the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago.
"Chicago, we have to help [Kamala Harris] win because we know that Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends," Ocasio-Cortez said in her speech, a portion of which aired live on Newsmax and simulcast on the Newsmax2 online streaming platform.
"And I, for one, am tired about of hearing about how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed trampling on our way of life."
Ocasio-Cortez said Trump can't love this country if he only fights for the wealthy and big business.
"To love this country is to fight for its people," she said. "All people, working people, every-day Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast-food cashiers who punch a clock and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there."
August 19, 2024
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.
New York Representative and member of the "Squad," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, began her speech at the DNC by thanking Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for their "vision," and Joe Biden for his "leadership."
She then weaved her own story of growing up middle class in New York into the stories of the upbringings of Harris and Walz.
"There is nothing wrong with working for a living. Imagine having leaders who understand that," she told the cheering crowd.
This was the congresswoman's first major convention speech, for which she was given a primetime slot. In 2020, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the DNC crowd with a pre-recorded minute-and-a-half-long endorsement for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Ocasio-Cortez also used her time at the podium to slam former President Trump, saying, “We know Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing palms of his Wall Street friends."
"I, for one, am tired of hearing about how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed trampling on our way of life," she added.
The congresswoman was also seemingly the first person on stage to reference Israel's war on Gaza, saying that Harris has been “working tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Following the end of her speech, the crowd cheered, "AOC! AOC!" as she walked off the stage.
WATCH: Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez speaks at 2024 Democratic National Convention
PoliticsNew York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered the first mention of the war in Gaza from the DNC stage.
WATCH LIVE: 2024 Democratic National Convention Night 1
“And she is working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bringing the hostages home,” Ocasio-Cortez said to cheers in the crowd.
Ocasio-Cortez has been one of the most critical voices in Congress of the Biden administration’s policy on Israel-Palestine and has called for greater restrictions on military aid to Israel. But she and other progressives have also been in dialogue with the administration on its policy, which has caused her to face pushback from some on the hard left.