Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed concern during a podcast interview Thursday about elites and cultural figures openly associating with former President Donald Trump.
Speaking on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, Ocasio-Cortez commented on the shift in public perception surrounding Trump, saying his second term has made him “much more normalized,” which she believes makes him “so much more dangerous” compared to his first term.
“What makes this go-around with Trump so much more dangerous than the first time around is … he is much more normalized this time around than he was the first time,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “The first time, people were really on edge. They were on guard. They were very vigilant about any break that he would have with these norms. This time, the norms are becoming him, like the norms are embracing him.”
Ocasio-Cortez also pointed to cultural signals, including the participation of celebrities and designers in Trump’s events, as evidence of this normalization. “Even these little things that … everyday working people may not care about, but they are strong cultural signals — Oscar de la Renta like dressing all of the women [for Trump’s inauguration] — like there’s all these cultural symbols … All of these people that were scared before about being associated with him, from the most common basic level to the most elite level, they’re all-in now because this is now a billionaire feeding frenzy,” she said. “It is a kiss-ass race. It is, ‘How can I show how much fealty I have to Donald Trump in order to get my digs?’”
Additionally, Trump’s inauguration included financial backing from Big Tech companies, some of which had previously banned him from their platforms.
While left-wing groups had planned protests during Trump’s second inauguration, the turnout fell significantly short of expectations. The Daily Caller News Foundation reported only a small crowd of demonstrators gathered in snowy conditions, far below the anticipated thousands.
In his inaugural address, Trump vowed to reverse Democratic policies and criticized the party, declaring, “America’s decline is over,” according to a transcript of his remarks.
