Fabricated post claims AOC decried 'blatant sexism' from conservative site | Fact check
The claim: Image shows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez post addressing ‘blatant sexism,’ profane insult
A Nov. 14 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of what appears to be a post on X, formerly Twitter, from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“I cannot stand all of the hate I am getting from the right-wing on Instagram. It is despicable, hateful, and disgusting,” the text of the purported post reads in part.
It goes on to reference a social media account that she accuses of "blatant sexism" and calling her profane names.
The Instagram post received more than 1,000 likes in a day. Similar versions on that platform received hundreds of additional likes.
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The post was fabricated to resemble one from a parody account. Ocasio-Cortez's campaign spokesperson has said she has nothing to do with that account.
Image fabricated to resemble AOC post
Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat who just won a fourth term in Congress, has been frequently criticized by Republicans over an agenda that includes criminal justice reform and combating climate change. The text of the Instagram post in question urges readers to follow the “right-wing news page” that supposedly led her to voice a complaint on social media.
But that push for engagement is based on a falsehood: The screenshotted X post did not come from Ocasio-Cortez and is a fabrication.
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While it resembles an authentic post from her – with a verification checkmark and the same profile image used in her personal X account – the username is the satirical X account @AOCpressTwo. Ocasio-Cortez has no connection to it, Diego de la Vega, a spokesperson for her campaign, previously told Paste BN.
The full username cuts off in the screenshot with ellipses, truncating the term “(parody)” from it. The screenshotted version uses Ocasio-Cortez's full name in the username, as the parody account did in the past. It now uses her nickname of “AOC." Additionally, the checkmarks both in the screenshotted post and on the parody account are blue; the check on Ocasio-Cortez's real account is gray because she is a government official.
But the post in question didn't come from the parody account, either. There is no record of it on its X profile. The social media user who operates that account could not be reached.
Paste BN previously debunked similar false claims of images showing a post from Ocasio-Cortez about conservatives’ “misogyny and racism” or news coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris attacking a knife company that supports President-elect Donald Trump.
Paste BN reached out to several social media users who shared the claim but did not immediately receive responses.
Our fact-check sources
- @AOCpressTwo, accessed Nov. 15, X account
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accessed Nov. 15, X account
- Paste BN, May 10, Image shows fabricated AOC post about conservatives' 'misogyny and racism' | Fact check
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