AOC drags White House press secretary for calling her 'Biden advisor'

Don't mess with AOC.
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 
AOC drags White House press secretary for calling her 'Biden advisor'
Kayleigh McEnany referred to AOC as "Biden adviser." Credit: mashable composite: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images and tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Do not come for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and expect to walk away unscathed, or at the very least, without getting dragged on Twitter.

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany experienced the Twitter wrath of Ocasio-Cortez firsthand. And as usual, AOC proved she's not here to play.

After McEnany discussed the Congresswoman in an afternoon briefing and referred to her as "Biden advisor Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez," AOC went on Twitter to @ the press secretary directly.


You May Also Like

".@PressSec wouldn't be the first person to mistake a women of color for having a lower position or title than she does, but Kayleigh - in case you haven’t picked up a newspaper in two years, I'm a Congresswoman," AOC tweeted.

In the briefing, McEnany also bragged about Trump's job numbers and went on to explain that although the president allegedly feels black lives matter, he has no desire to defund the police. McEnany highlighted AOC's vocal "defund the police" stance and made it clear that Trump does not agree.

"The fact that you have sitting congresswomen wanting to defund the police... notably Biden advisor AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez... it is extraordinary," McEnany said.

Though according to the transcript, McEnany initially referred to AOC as a "sitting congresswoman" on the first general mention, the fact that she later referred to the 30-year-old as "Biden advisor" rubbed AOC the wrong way.

After AOC tweeted at McEnany, responses were split. Some loyal followers praised Ocasio-Cortez for putting the press secretary in her place, and others argued that although AOC is a member of Congress, she also supports and works with Biden.

To those people, AOC clarified her response and explained her anger in an additional tweet.

"The @PressSec comment is steeped in a long, hurtful, & horrendous history of stripping women of color of titles and diminishing them to 'the help,'" she tweeted. "Perhaps she isn't aware that what she did is mired in racist history. If that is the case, I look forward to her apology tomorrow."

McEnany replied to the congresswoman's tweet with a highlighted screenshot of the press briefing transcript.

Whether or not McEnany used the label to diminish a woman of color's accomplishments, it's worth noting that isn't the first time McEnany has been accused of making racist remarks. In July 2013, McEnany wrote an article about Barack Obama entitled, "A Salute to the Nation’s First 'White' African-American President," in which she attacked the then-president's race and said, "It’s time to move past race."

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Trump's new White House app is a security and privacy nightmare
President Donald Trump at the White House



Seth Meyers mocks the White House's 3-ingredient budget meal idea
Seth Meyers presents "Late Night" beside an image of a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli and a tortilla on a plate.

White House adds AI-produced tears to image of arrested protestor
The arrest of Minnesota activist Nekima Levy Armstrong

More in Life
How to watch Chelsea vs. Port Vale online for free
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea reacts

How to watch 'Wuthering Heights' at home: Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi's controversial romance now streaming
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi embracing in still from "Wuthering Heights"

How to watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers online for free
Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders warms up

How to watch Mexico vs. Belgium online for free
Israel Reyes of Mexico reacts

How to watch Brazil vs. Croatia online for free
Vinicius Junior #10 of Brazil leaves

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

The quirky stuff NASA packed in the Orion spaceship for Artemis II
Rise floating in microgravity with the Artemis II crew
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!