Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) had a rough go of things at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend.
Making her first appearance at Europe’s preeminent security summit since being elected to Congress in 2018, Ocasio-Cortez participated in multiple panel discussions, in what was widely considered to be a strategic effort to increase her political profile. However, several of her remarks drew much criticism and ridicule, including a response she gave about Venezuela, in which she claimed the country was located “below the equator.”
“We look at what happened in Venezuela, for example,” said Ocasio-Cortez in a discussion at TU Berlin about the state of politics in the United States. “It is not a remark on who Maduro was as a leader. He canceled elections. He was an anti-democratic leader.”
“That doesn’t mean that we can kidnap a head of state and engage in acts of war just because the nation is below the equator,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
However, the congresswoman was mistaken. Venezuela is the northernmost country in South America, located in the Northern Hemisphere and north of the equator. It was one of several remarks by Ocasio-Cortez that were widely panned by critics. Her Venezuela flub drew much mockery and scorn from political rivals and opponents.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald was among those who slammed the New York City congresswoman.
“Whoever convinced AOC that she had successfully completed her tutoring and was now ready to give book reports about foreign policy in public really should look for another line of work,” Greenwald posted on X.
“Unless the goal was to sabotage her,” he added. “In which case: kudos for a job well done.”
“AOC’s Geography Is as Bad as Her Politics — And That’s Saying Something,” said Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“Hey Dummy, Venezuela is, in fact, NOT below the equator,” podcast host Steven Crowder posted on X. “The more you know, @AOC.”
Comedian and talk show host Jimmy Failla ridiculed Ocasio-Cortez about the Venezuela error, while also making fun of her claims about being from the Bronx.
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“Nobody is shocked that AOC doesn’t know where Venezuela is,” Failla posted on X. “This is the same chick who claims she grew up in the Bronx even though her actual neighborhood of Yorktown Heights is FORTY miles away.”
President Donald Trump also commented about Ocasio-Cortez’s Munich performance, saying her comments were “not a good look.”
“I watched AOC answering questions in Munich,” Trump said to a press gaggle on Air Force One on Monday evening. “This was not a good look for the United States.”