Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has accused Elon Musk and Donald Trump of “laughing at working people” in their most recent election campaign moves.
Speaking at a United Auto Workers (UAW) event in Pennsylvania on October 21, Representative Ocasio Cortez began by discussing Musk’s $1 million giveaway for voters in the state who sign a petition created by his America PAC in favor of protecting the First and Second Amendments.
“When you have a billionaire just dangling a million bucks to those of us and many of us who are struggling to make ends meet — if they dance for him,” she said.
She went on to reference Trump being filmed at a McDonald’s on Sunday October 20, wearing an apron and working the fryer while serving people at a drive-thru.
Left: Elon Musk speaking at Life Center Church in Harrisburg, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Right: Donald Trump, left, at a drive-thru window during a campaign stop at a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pa., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. Inset: AOC onstage during the DNC at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. AOC has accused Musk and Trump of “laughing at” working people through their efforts to gain voters in Pennsylvania.
Left: Sean Simmers, Right: Doug Mills, Inset: Justin Sullivan/Left: The Patriot-News via AP, Right:The New York Times via AP, Pool, Inset: Getty Images
“You’ve got Donald Trump putting on a little McDonald’s costume, because he thinks that’s what people do,” Ocasio Cortez said. “They’re not trying to empathize with us. They are making fun of us.”
She added, “Donald Trump thinks that people who work at McDonald’s are a joke. Elon Musk thinks that dangling money in front of a working person is a cute thing to do, when the election of our lives is before us.”
As the crowd applauded, Ocasio Cortez continued, “They have absolutely no idea what our lives are like, and so they think this callousness is a way of connecting.” She said that in the end, “They’re laughing at us.”
Ocasio Cortez posted a clip of her making the statements on TikTok, and the video received 411,000 views and 68,000 likes. She also posted it on her Instagram, where it received 147,000 likes.
The America PAC and the Trump Campaign have been contacted for comment via email.
Trump’s McDonald’s stop has garnered controversy after social media users accused it of bein a stunt.
According to reporting from The Washington Post, the restaurant was closed to the general public, and the customers who were served by Trump at the drive-thru had been screened by the Secret Service and positioned prior to his appearance.
Review-bombers have also been leaving negative comments on Yelp for the McDonald’s where Trump worked.
Donald Trump, left, serving up french fries beside an employee during a camapign stop at a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pa., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. AOC described this event as “Donald Trump putting on a little McDonald’s costume, because he thinks that’s what people do” during a speech to the UAW in Pennsylvania.
Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool
Musk’s petition has also received a mixed response, as some legal scholars argue that offering money in exchange for signatures for registered voters is a violation of federal law.
Ocasio Cortez’ appearance in Pennsylvania is part of a drive from both parties to win the critical battleground state that recent polls show is an extremely close race between the two candidates.
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