Gosh, how long has it been since President Donald Trump told New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other freshman Congresswomen of color to “go back” to the “totally broken and crime infested places from which they came” (note: for most, the U.S.)? Hmm, more than a month? Well shit, then Trump is definitely overdue for another bout of outrage to remind his base that he’s their only hope.
On Tuesday, Trump’s campaign sent out a text to supporters demonizing Ocasio-Cortez for comments she made last week about the Electoral College.
“Crazy AOC wants to ABOLISH the Electoral College. Let’s remind her this is OUR COUNTRY, not the Coastal Elites [sic],” the text reads, linking to Trump’s website. “Sign our petition NOW.”
On the webpage associated with the “petition,” the page reads, “Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently called for abolishing the Electoral College.”
“Remind her that this country belongs to AMERICANS from EVERY zip code, not just the Coastal Elites and Liberal Mega Donors,” it continues, landing with a Very Racist phrase: “This is our country, not theirs.”
Emails sent out by the Trump campaign on Tuesday expand upon this anti-AOC sentiment, stating that Ocasio-Cortez “dialed up the crazy to a whole new level” and that Democrats “want to rip up the Constitution just to appease their radical socialist base.”
“The President is calling on you at this critical time to remind AOC and Democrats that this is our country, not theirs,” the email emphasizes.
The sudden commotion over Ocasio-Cortez appears to be a delayed reaction to comments she made in an Instagram story last week. According to the Hill’s reporting of the representative’s comments at the time, Ocasio-Cortez shared a video of herself driving along a deserted highway and saying “Many votes here, as you can see.”
Ocasio-Cortez also called the Electoral College a “scam” with a “racial injustice breakdown” that devalues votes within communities of color, which it is and which it does. “Facts are facts, America,” Ocasio-Cortez said, evoking the words of Monique Heart. “The Electoral College has to go.”
Later in the week, Fox News picked up Ocasio-Cortez’s comments on their website, to which she responded on Friday in a Twitter thread, breaking down why the Electoral College is discriminatory.
And as with most things Fox News covers in order to outrage its viewers, Ocasio-Cortez’s comments have trickled down to Trump, or at least to his campaign. But knowing him, we are only days, if not hours, from the president tweeting something terrible about Ocasio-Cortez himself.
Of course, there is already a Trump Tweet about the Electoral College, and yes, as most old Trump Tweets do, it contradicts the exact thing his campaign is already saying about the sanctity of the Electoral College.
There are also even MORE Trump Tweets proclaiming his love for the Electoral College, specifically because without it, he would’ve lost the 2016 election by 3 million votes.
Observe the duality of a man who has no better selling point than scaring his base about the treacherous ways of the Boogeyman.