On Wednesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tried to criticize House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for inaction ahead of a likely government shutdown… but ended up having what critics called a “meltdown” over a tweet.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday, “Boy math is needing 15 attempts to count the votes correctly to become Speaker and then shutting down the government 9 months later.” She was understood to be referring to internet jokes about “girl dinner” and “boy dinner.”
Conservative commentator Ashley St. Clair responded, “Girl math is saying immigrants coming legally through Ellis Island is the same as 3 million undocumented migrants pouring through our border and costing NYC $1,000,000,000 to house migrants for free in hotels.”
St. Clair attached a video of Ocasio-Cortez calling the migration crisis “nothing compared to the daily amount people that we saw coming in through Ellis Island in the first half of [the 20th] century.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk weighed in. “She’s just not that smart,” Musk commented on St. Clair’s tweet on Wednesday.
And Ocasio-Cortez completely lost her cool.
Take a look —
She’s just not that smart
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 27, 2023
Ocasio-Cortez wasn’t tagged in Musk’s tweet… but she found the tweet later that morning.
“Stay mad,” the self-declared socialist told Musk later on Wednesday.
“I wasn’t born rich and became the youngest woman in American history to be elected to Congress. Then I investigated Cohen, authored the largest FEMA funeral assistance program in history and led creation of a US Climate Corps to create tens of thousands of new jobs.”
Musk wasn’t having it. The tech mogul took shots at the Democrats’ frivolous spending.
“First, please allow me to congratulate you on these epic achievements,” Musk told Ocasio-Cortez. “However, have you considered, rather than ‘funeral assistance’, that FEMA focus its funding on preventing funerals in the first place?”
First, please allow me to congratulate you on these epic achievements.
However, have you considered, rather than “funeral assistance”, that FEMA focus its funding on preventing funerals in the first place?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2023
Onlookers seemed very entertained by Musk’s feud with Ocasio-Cortez.
One person pointed out Ocasio-Cortez’s hypocrisy in calling Musk “mad” despite her own frequent use of a platform owned by Musk, a bitter rival.
Another person, St. Clair herself, stayed focused on the congresswoman’s remarks about immigration.
“I think she’s actually incredibly smart + aware of what she’s doing, which makes her even worse,” St. Clair told Musk.
“She knows Ellis Island is not even remotely comparable to the devastation happening to our city and this country due to the open border policies she advocates for.”
I think she’s actually incredibly smart + aware of what she’s doing, which makes her even worse. She knows Ellis Island is not even remotely comparable to the devastation happening to our city and this country due to the open border policies she advocates for.
— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) September 27, 2023
The Horn editorial team