AOC Laughs Off ‘Defund the Police’ Past as Radicals Distance Themselves

Clear Facts

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed her radical past positions on defunding police, calling the “Woke 1” era “crazy” during an ABC interview
• The Democratic Socialists of America, which previously endorsed AOC, still officially supports abolishing police departments
• AOC distanced herself from the national DSA organization while maintaining membership in the New York City chapter

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attempted to rewrite history regarding her support for radical anti-police policies during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. When confronted about extreme positions she and fellow socialists have championed, the congresswoman laughed off the controversy with a dismissive joke.

Host Jon Karl pressed Ocasio-Cortez on Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong’s controversial statements, including calls to cancel Thanksgiving and abolish prisons. Hong has been backtracking on these positions as she seeks the Democratic nomination.

“I have a local city councilman that has this saying, ‘Woke 1 was crazy,'” Ocasio-Cortez said laughing.

“And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now.”

Karl didn’t let the congresswoman off easy, asking directly if the socialist movement had gone “too far.” He noted that Ocasio-Cortez herself had previously supported defunding the police—a position that contributed to rising crime rates in cities across America. AOC claimed most of these statements were made during COVID lockdowns when people were supposedly more open to radical change.

“And I think that the doors were really open in trying to entertain any and every policy that was going to get us to a better place,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And I actually think that the discussions that were had in that time were quite fruitful.”

The congresswoman’s claim that these discussions were “fruitful” ignores the real-world consequences of defund-the-police rhetoric. Cities that reduced police funding saw violent crime surge, with law-abiding citizens and businesses bearing the brunt of failed progressive experiments in public safety.

“I think that when we talk about crime today, it’s fundamentally different than the way that we talked about crime in bringing crime down, right?” she continued.

“And I think that we all share the goals of having as low a crime rate as possible. I think that during lockdown, of course, rhetoric in that time is not rhetoric that we would use today. And I’m grateful that these candidates have the opportunity to present who they are to their electorate, and what they’re campaigning on in this moment.”

Karl pointed out an inconvenient truth: the Democratic Socialists of America—the organization that launched Ocasio-Cortez’s political career—still officially supports abolishing police departments. Rather than denounce this extreme position, AOC claimed she’s only a member of the New York City chapter, not the national organization, and doesn’t agree with all its positions.

This distancing comes as tensions mount between Ocasio-Cortez and the DSA. In 2024, the group withdrew its endorsement of her re-election, citing her failure to meet conditions including opposing all funding to Israel and publicly supporting boycotts and sanctions against America’s Middle Eastern ally.

The organization remains divided on whether to offer an early endorsement of Ocasio-Cortez for a potential 2028 presidential run. Despite internal conflicts, a spokesperson for Canary Mission warned that an AOC presidency would “give that movement more than influence: it would give its agenda access to the full power of the executive branch.”

The attempt to rebrand away from radical positions highlights a growing pattern among progressive politicians. As their policies prove unpopular and damaging, they distance themselves from past statements while maintaining the same underlying ideology. The question for voters remains whether these shifts represent genuine changes of heart or merely political calculation.

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