Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced backlash for apparent hypocrisy after criticizing JD Vance for ‘manspreading,’ only to be caught in a similar sitting position shortly after. The New York congresswoman reacted disdainfully to a clip of Vance sitting in a wide, relaxed manner in a cushy chair, tweeting, “Why are you sitting like that,” on Tuesday.
However, Ocasio-Cortez’s critique was quickly turned against her. Clown World, a prominent account on X known for its criticism of liberals, juxtaposed a screenshot of AOC’s tweet with an image of her sitting in a similar wide stance less than two years ago. The caption read, “AOC,” over her criticism of Vance and “Also AOC,” over the image of her own wide sitting posture. Many others on the platform responded with the same image of AOC.
Adding fuel to the fire, another user posted a photo of AOC sitting at a restaurant table with her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, who had his legs crossed. The user mockingly asked, “Why is he sitting like that?”
Vance, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, had already faced criticism from other liberal accounts on X for his sitting posture during his appearance on the Full Send Podcast last Friday. AOC’s comments, however, drew even more attention to the clip and resulted in her receiving backlash for exhibiting the same behavior she condemned.
The image of AOC sitting with her legs spread came from an October 2022 campaign event ahead of the midterm elections. During the event, held in a small auditorium in her district, several protesters chanted “AOC has got to go,” with one man banging a drum to emphasize the shouts. Despite the disruptions, AOC attempted to appear unfazed, sitting on stage with her legs spread and dancing to the drumbeat. One woman repeatedly called her a “sellout.”
Following the event, a spokesperson for AOC provided a statement to Newsweek, describing the protesters as “part of a far-right wing group that regularly protests at vaccine clinics, against LGBTQ rights, etc.” The spokesperson added, “They were not constituents. We do thank the numerous constituents from Astoria who turned out last night to engage in the civic process. We’re grateful that we were still able to have a meaningful dialogue, in spite of that group of outsiders.”
This controversy isn’t the first time Vance has targeted AOC. While running for his Ohio Senate seat in 2021, he criticized her “sociopathic” attitude toward families and children, as reported by the Guardian. Vance commented on AOC’s views about the morality of having children in a world affected by climate change. “Maybe AOC hasn’t found the right person, whatever the case may be. AOC has said basically – if you look at her public remarks on this – that it’s immoral to have children because of climate change concerns. Right? This is, let’s just be direct, a sociopathic attitude towards family,” Vance said.
AOC did question the ethics of having children in light of climate change shortly after her election in 2018. In a March 2019 Instagram live session, she stated, “Basically, there’s a scientific consensus that the lives of children are going to be very difficult. And it does lead, I think, young people to have a legitimate question: Is it okay to still have children?”
Vance’s criticism of AOC regarding her views on the family came around the same time he infamously commented about the US being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies,” specifically naming Vice President Kamala Harris, AOC, and Pete Buttigieg.