Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) taunted Republican critics in a new interview by saying they should "enjoy being exhausted for the next two years while we run train on the progressive agenda."
Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic socialist and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, has become one of the most prominent members of the new Democratic House majority, pushing for an ambitious progressive agenda and frequently trading social media barbs with conservatives.
Asked by the Washington Post about a recent controversy involving the circulation of a photo falsely claimed to be a nude selfie of hers, she said she was "surprised and annoyed" but also claimed it meant her opponents had nothing else on her. The Daily Caller took criticism for publishing the headline, "Here’s the photo some people described as a nude selfie of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez" while explaining in the article the photo was a fake.
"I also think it’s encouraging because this is my sixth day in Congress and they’re out of all their artillery," she said. "The nude is supposed to be like the bazooka. You know, like, 'We’re going to take her down.' Dude, you’re all out of bullets, you’re all out of bombs, you’re all out of all this stuff. What have you got left? I’m six days into the term, and you already used all your ammo. So enjoy being exhausted for the next two years while we run train on the progressive agenda."
While she meant she and her fellow liberal Democrats would enthusiastically pursue their agenda items, "run train" is known as a crude sexual term, which is sometimes used to denote acting in an aggressive manner.
She also agreed with the Post's query about whether she considered the attacks on her to be misogynistic.
"Absolutely," she said. "I think it’s interesting because what I consider to be my greatest strength, which is the intersectionality of our message, is I think the thing that triggers them the most."