Recently, during an interview on the “Pro Politics with Zac McCary” podcast, former Representative Joe Crowley, who lost to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the 2018 midterm election primary, claims that former President Donald Trump helped AOC ultimately win that historic race. According to Crowley, Democrats were more eager than ever to get a progressive Democrat like AOC in office to combat Trump’s policies.
“In many respects, it lit the fire onto the base of our party, and I think that’s a good thing in many respects, you know. Maybe personally, it didn’t work out for me, but I think he created the energy we needed to oust him as president in four years,” Crowley said on the podcast, per the New York Post. So, in a way, Trump directly helped AOC win her election to become a United States Representative.
Much like Trump, AOC has used social media to grow her platform to now include millions of followers who hang on her every word. However, much of AOC’s platform is the antithesis of Trump’s platform. In direct contrast to Trump’s business magnate status, AOC’s humble roots and passion for helping the working class and minority groups seemed to especially shine during her election in 2018. As Time reported, her focus on activism, coupled with Trump’s unpopular policies, inspired a new generation of Democrats to get more involved in enacting change involving climate change, Medicare for All, immigration policy, and much more.
