While Donald Trump has been relentless in his efforts to undermine Vice President Kamala Harris, labeling her everything from incompetent to dangerously liberal, he recently took a surprising turn by offering what seemed to be a compliment to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), a figure often at the opposite end of the political spectrum.
During an interview with internet personality Adin Ross on the streaming platform Kick, Trump made a surprising remark about Ocasio-Cortez, saying, “she has spark.”
As part of the interview, Ross displayed photos of various public figures, asking Trump for his thoughts on each. When shown a photo of Ocasio-Cortez, Trump initially dismissed her with a simple, “Fake.”
But then, in a rare moment of acknowledgment, he added, “But in all fairness, she knows it. She’s got a thing going. But it’s a good thing. Good thing for her. She’s got a spark that’s pretty amazing actually. She’s got a good spark. I’ll change it. I’ll say spark.”
Trump went on to compare Ocasio-Cortez’s rise to that of Argentina’s former First Lady Eva Perón, revealing that he had warned aides to former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) during his 2018 primary campaign that she could be a serious political threat. Crowley indeed lost that primary to Ocasio-Cortez, who has since become one of the most prominent figures in progressive politics.
“She’s got a lot of sizzle,” Trump remarked.
However, it would be a mistake to interpret these comments as a sign of any newfound camaraderie between the two. Trump has been a vocal critic of Ocasio-Cortez and her progressive colleagues in the Squad, at one point telling them in 2019 to “go back” to the countries they came from. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez has been a fierce critic of Trump since she entered Congress in 2018. In late July, she pledged her “full support” to Vice President Harris after President Biden decided not to seek reelection.
“Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work,” Ocasio-Cortez posted on X, making it clear that despite the unexpected praise, the battle lines remain firmly drawn.
