Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s speech at the Democratic National Convention left some observers puzzled, with many speculating that she might have been experimenting with a new accent.
The ‘Squad’ member, who has previously faced criticism for allegedly altering her voice in public appearances, delivered a seven-minute speech in Chicago on Monday night, drawing enthusiastic applause.
At one point, she seemed to adopt a different vocal tone while comparing Donald Trump to Kamala Harris.
“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 from under the boots of greed, trampling on our way of life,” she declared.
The way she pronounced “on our way of life” particularly stood out, with Ocasio-Cortez adopting a noticeably different accent and rhythm to deliver the phrase.
Her extension of the word “life” caught the attention of some conservatives, with one social media user questioning, “What accent is AOC using here?”
Another commented, “Aside from AOC discovering a new accent, it’s hilarious hearing her claim Donald Trump only fights for ‘the wealthy & big business.’ The Democrat Party is literally the party of wealthy elites, Hollywood stars, pro athletes, and woke mega-corporations.”
“AOC’s speech was cringe. The fake accent was way too much for me. Back snapped. I called it. DNC is cringe as all get out,” added another critic.
Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens in Congress, has faced accusations in the past of altering her accent.
In 2023, she was criticized after a video resurfaced in which she spoke with an accent while addressing Al Sharpton’s civil rights organization.
During that speech, the Democratic lawmaker adopted a Southern drawl, saying, “I’m proud to be a bartender. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.”
Growing up in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, Ocasio-Cortez has been accused of pandering to the audience during the 2019 National Action Network conference.
A viral video labeling AOC “a total fraud” spliced that clip with more recent footage of her criticizing Donald Trump, where she spoke without any discernible accent.
These accusations have followed Ocasio-Cortez since her early years in Congress, with the same video clip being used against her in 2019.
“Folks talking about my voice can step right off,” she responded on Twitter. “Any kid who grew up in a distinct linguistic culture & had to learn to navigate class enviros at school/work knows what’s up. My Spanish is the same way.”
“As much as the right wants to distort & deflect, I am from the Bronx. I act & talk like it, especially when I’m fired up and especially when I’m home. It is so hurtful to see how every aspect of my life is weaponized against me, yet somehow asserted as false at the same time,” she continued.
Ocasio-Cortez lived in the Bronx until she was five, when her family moved to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County. After graduating from Boston University in 2011, she returned to the Bronx.
When she rose to prominence in Congress, DailyMail.com reported that Ocasio-Cortez had spent much of her youth in Westchester County, which contrasted with the narrative of her Bronx upbringing.
Her family moved to the suburbs for better schools, selling their Bronx condo when her father passed away from cancer in 2008, although they retained ownership of the property.
Ocasio-Cortez’s speech at the convention drew a passionate response from the partisan crowd at the United Center, as she asserted that she would be “happy” to bartend again and criticized Donald Trump as a “two-bit union buster” who would “sell the country out for a dollar.”
“Republicans have attacked me by saying that I should go back to bartending,” Ocasio-Cortez said during her primetime speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
“Let me tell you, I’m happy to any day of the week because there is nothing wrong with working for a living,” she added, receiving cheers from the crowd.
“Donald Trump would sell this country for $1 if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends,” she continued.
Throughout her primetime address on the first day of the DNC, the crowd frequently chanted “AOC,” just before President Biden took the stage.
“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,” she declared.
The speech took a more establishment-friendly tone, diverging from her typical progressive, anti-establishment rhetoric.
Ocasio-Cortez appeared to align more closely with the Democratic Party’s platform and leadership, a shift that some social media critics noted.
During this convention, Ocasio-Cortez was given a primetime speaking slot on the first night. In contrast, during the 2020 convention, she was allotted just 90 seconds to deliver a virtual speech endorsing Bernie Sanders for the nomination.
“In any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party,” Ocasio-Cortez remarked in 2020.
Democrats gathered at the convention to formally nominate Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to lead the ticket.
