AOC slams Trump as authoritarian at rare town hall, urges defiance and boycotts

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used one of her increasingly rare constituent town halls to attack President Donald Trump, labeling him an authoritarian and urging residents to resist and even boycott administration moves. The virtual town hall on Thursday night served constituents in Queens and the Bronx.

During the session she argued that authoritarians rely on the perception of power and said Trump is trying to take control of the media to mask his unpopularity. She said the president is less popular now than at any time in his presidency and cast his actions as efforts to cow the press. Ocasio-Cortez said the administration seeks to coerce compliance through fear and warned that the public cannot consent to such tactics. She credited local boycotts, including campaigns against Disney, with influencing policy by showing people will vote with their wallets. The remarks came as she noted attention on media coverage of political fault lines and argued that activism and political participation remain essential to check executive power.

Notes of timing aside, the session tied into a broader national moment around how corporate media and content platforms respond to political pressure. In recent days, ABC suspended a late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, after controversial comments about a conservative activist; the suspension followed quick warnings from regulatory officials about content decisions. The White House defended the move as a ratings decision, rather than political pressure, while critics argued it reflected the administration's broader push to influence media. The incident has become part of the backdrop that Ocasio-Cortez invoked to illustrate how the public can use boycotts and cost considerations to push back on government actions.

Separately, Ocasio-Cortez highlighted how threats to boycott Disney were cited as a factor in Kimmel's return to airwaves, illustrating the idea that citizens should not tolerate authoritarian tendencies and should respond with organized, peaceful resistance through budgeting choices and public advocacy. The town hall came amid ongoing public attention to the balance of power among the executive branch, the media, and private corporations, and it represented one of the more visible public events from the congresswoman in recent months.

The remarks circulated as part of broader debates over how elected officials may mobilize constituents to push back against policies they oppose, including issues around media access, corporate influence, and the use of boycotts as civic tools. The episode underscores how the intersection of politics, media, and consumer behavior remains a focal point for the US politics landscape.