Latest news with #YorktownHighSchool
International Business Times
5 hours ago
- Politics
- International Business Times
AOC Responds to Her Yearbook Photo but Defends Her 'Bronx Girl' Roots Amid Social Media Feud with Trump
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushed back against criticism of her so-called 'Bronx girl' upbringing after a Republican lawmaker shared her yearbook photo from a prestigious suburban high school. "I'm proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," AOC said X Friday. On Tuesday, State Assemblyman Matt Slater joined the social media feud between AOC and President Donald Trump, following her call for Trump's impeachment over his decision to authorize airstrikes on Iran without congressional consent. As online users began sharing photos of what was claimed to be her former home in Yorktown Heights—now reportedly worth over $500,000—Ocasio-Cortez responded to allegations that she grew up "privileged." AOC Responds with Fury "My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors' homes in exchange for SAT prep. Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it's a big reason I believe the things I do today!" she said. However, the Democratic Congresswoman's portrayal of herself as a "Bronx girl" has faced frequent skepticism, as many residents of Northern Westchester recall her as Sandy Cortez from Yorktown Heights. "She's embarrassing herself for doing everything possible to avoid saying she grew up in the suburbs instead of the Bronx," state Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Yorktown) said Sunday. "She has said she visited extended family, she has said she commuted," Slater said. "Now she's in between. It's clearly desperate attempts to protect the lie that she is from the Bronx." Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but relocated to Yorktown when she was five years old. She later graduated from Yorktown High School and went on to study at Boston University. The recent confrontation earlier this week sparked a heated back-and-forth between AOC and Trump, during which the congresswoman seemed to reference her Bronx upbringing as a symbol of her resilience. In the Line of Fire "The president's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers," she said on Saturday. "He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment." Trump swiftly fired back at the progressive lawmaker, calling her "one of the dumbest members of Congress," prompting Ocasio-Cortez to fire back at the former president with a string of sharp tweets. Trump then said that the liberal firebrand "can't stand the concept of our country being successful again," because members of her party "aren't used to winning."
Sky News AU
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
AOC breaks silence on suburban yearbook pic but still clings to ‘Bronx girl' claims: ‘Embarrassing herself'
Lefty firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke out on her suburban high school yearbook pic — but still continued to dodge her Westchester County upbringing. 'I'm proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time,' AOC said on X Friday. 'My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors' homes in exchange for SAT prep. 'Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it's a big reason I believe the things I do today!' But the Democratic Congresswoman's 'Bronx girl' claims have repeatedly come under fire, with folks in the Northern Westchester community remembering her as Sandy Cortez from Yorktown Heights. 'She's embarrassing herself for doing everything possible to avoid saying she grew up in the suburbs instead of the Bronx,' state Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Yorktown) said Sunday. 'She has said she visited extended family, she has said she commuted,' Slater said. 'Now she's in between. It's clearly desperate attempts to protect the lie that she is from the Bronx.' Ocasio-Cortez, who represents part of the Bronx and Queens, traded online barbs with President Trump last week after she called for his impeachment for bypassing Congress for the Iranian airstrikes. Trump called the liberal firebrand 'one of the 'dumbest' people in Congress,' leading Ocasio-Cortez to rip into the commander-in-chief in a series of tweets. 'Also, I'm a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully,' Ocasio-Cortez said in reference to the president's Queens childhood. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but her family moved to Yorktown when she was 5 years old and she went on to graduate from Yorktown High School in 2007. The left-wing darling, 35, has taken heat for her suburban roots since she pulled off an upset win in 2018 to burst onto the national stage.
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
AOC breaks silence on suburban yearbook pic but still clings to ‘Bronx girl' claims: ‘Embarrassing herself'
Lefty firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke out on her suburban high school yearbook pic — but still continued to dodge her Westchester County upbringing. 'I'm proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time,' AOC said on X Friday. 'My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors' homes in exchange for SAT prep. 'Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it's a big reason I believe the things I do today!' 3 Despite her 'Bronx girl' claims, AOC graduated from suburban Yorktown High School in 2007 as 'Sandy Cortez'. Courtesy Matt Slater But the Democratic Congresswoman's 'Bronx girl' claims have repeatedly come under fire, with folks in the Northern Westchester community remembering her as Sandy Cortez from Yorktown Heights. 'She's embarrassing herself for doing everything possible to avoid saying she grew up in the suburbs instead of the Bronx,' state Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Yorktown) said Sunday. 'She has said she visited extended family, she has said she commuted,' Slater said. 'Now she's in between. It's clearly desperate attempts to protect the lie that she is from the Bronx.' Ocasio-Cortez, who represents part of the Bronx and Queens, traded online barbs with President Trump last week after she called for his impeachment for bypassing Congress for the Iranian airstrikes. 3 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 35, grew up in this suburban home in Yorktown Heights and attended local schools.. J.C. Rice 3 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got into an online spat with President Trump, claiming she's a 'Bronx girl.' LP Media Trump called the liberal firebrand 'one of the 'dumbest' people in Congress,' leading Ocasio-Cortez to rip into the commander-in-chief in a series of tweets. 'Also, I'm a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully,' Ocasio-Cortez said in reference to the president's Queens childhood. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but her family moved to Yorktown when she was 5-years old and she went on to graduate from Yorktown High School in 2007. The left-wing darling, 35, has taken heat for her suburban roots since she pulled off an upset win in 2018 to burst onto the national stage.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
AOC's 'tough girl' persona undermined by yearbook reveal
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 'Bronx girl' narrative was shattered when a New York State Republican lawmaker exposed her yearbook photo from a top-ranked, high-performing public school. On Tuesday, State Assemblyman Matt Slater jumped into the online clash between AOC and President Donald Trump, after the liberal progressive called for Trump's impeachment over his approval of airstrikes on Iran without congressional authorization. The online clash ignited a fiery exchange between AOC and Trump, during which the congresswoman appeared to invoke her Bronx roots as a source of her toughness. 'Also, I'm a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully,' AOC wrote to X in regards to the president's Queens upbringing. But Slater (pictured) escalated the debate by unveiling a yearbook photo of her as a high school freshman in the affluent suburb of Yorktown, Westchester County - a 40-minute drive from the Bronx. 'If you're a BX girl then why are you in my Yorktown yearbook?' Slater wrote on X. 'Give it up already.' Alongside his tweet, the Republican lawmaker posted two images: a black-and-white throwback of a young, smiling AOC, and the 2004 yearbook cover from Yorktown High School. In a statement to The New York Post, he dismissed the 'AOC-Bronx mythology' as 'laughable,' adding that the claim is just as laughable to the 36,000 residents of the Westchester community. 'The truth is AOC is Sandy Cortez who went to Yorktown High School and lived at the corner of Friends Road and Longvue Street,' Slater told the outlet. 'She may think it makes her look tough or like some kind of champion for the radical left who voted for Zohran Mamdani, but she really needs to come clean and drop the act,' he added. The takedown came shortly after AOC - who represents parts of both the Bronx and Queens - called for Trump's impeachment following his order to deploy a dozen 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs that reportedly 'obliterated' Iran's three largest nuclear facilities. 'The president's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,' she said on Saturday. 'He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.' Trump swiftly fired back, challenging her to 'go ahead and try impeaching me, again.' 'Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the 'dumbest' people in Congress, is now calling for my Impeachment, despite the fact that the Crooked and Corrupt Democrats have already done that twice before,' he wrote in retaliation. Trump then noted that the liberal firebrand 'can't stand the concept of our country being successful again,' because members of her party 'aren't used to winning.' After that came the personal attacks on the congresswoman's intelligence, as Trump added 'when we examine her test scores, we will find out that she is not qualified for office.' Less than an hour later, AOC replied to Trump's jab, writing: 'Mr. President, don't take your anger out on me - I'm just a silly girl. Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war,' she added. 'It only took you five months to break almost every promise you made.' But Slater - representing parts of both Putnam and Westchester counties - quickly jumped in, posting the two photos with the caption beneath one : 'Here's the Yorktown High School '04 yearbook pic. Friends Road looks nothing like the Bronx.' The 35-year-old left-wing congresswoman has faced scrutiny over her suburban upbringing since her unexpected triumph in 2018 catapulted her onto the national stage. During her campaign, AOC highlighted her deep personal ties to the borough by sharing stories of her childhood and neighborhood life, aiming to authentically connect with Bronx voters and present herself as 'one of their own.' Even during a segment with late-night host Stephen Colbert during Trump's first term, she reaffirmed her Bronx identity, telling him, 'I don't think he knows how to deal with a girl from the Bronx.' However, at just five years old, AOC moved with her family to a modest two-bedroom house on a quiet street in Yorktown Heights - a suburban relocation driven by the search for better schools, according to a 2018 article by The New York Times. In 2007, the congresswoman graduated from Yorktown High School before attending Boston University, where she studied economics and international relations—and briefly engaged with establishment politics - before returning to the Bronx. Once back in the borough, she began advocating for improved childhood education and literacy - and even launched a children's book publishing company aimed at portraying the Bronx in a more positive light. Despite criticism of her suburban roots, AOC has continued to lean into and defend her Bronx narrative, arguing that her time in Yorktown highlighted the stark disparities people face based on where they're born. 'It is nice. Growing up, it was a good town for working people,' she said in reference to Yorktown in a 2018 tweet. 'My mom scrubbed toilets so I could live here & I grew up seeing how the zip code one is born in determines much of their opportunity.' AOC's biography notes that she was born in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx before her family moved north to Yorktown. 'Alexandria's mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico and worked throughout her childhood as a domestic worker,' her biography reads. 'Alexandria's father was a second-generation Bronxite, who ran a small business in The Bronx.' Throughout her childhood, Representative Ocasio-Cortez traveled regularly to The Bronx to spend time with her extended family,' it adds. 'From an early age, the stark contrast in educational opportunities available to her and her cousins, based on their respective zip codes, made an impression on her.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
AOC's tough girl from the Bronx image is destroyed by yearbook photo from well-to-do high school
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 's 'Bronx girl' narrative was shattered when a New York State Republican lawmaker exposed her yearbook photo from a top-ranked, high-performing public school. On Tuesday, State Assemblyman Matt Slater jumped into the online clash between AOC and President Donald Trump, after the liberal progressive called for Trump's impeachment over his approval of airstrikes on Iran without congressional authorization. The online clash ignited a fiery exchange between AOC and Trump, during which the congresswoman appeared to invoke her Bronx roots as a source of her toughness. 'Also, I'm a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully,' AOC wrote to X in regards to the president's Queens upbringing. But Slater escalated the debate by unveiling a yearbook photo of her as a high school freshman in the affluent suburb of Yorktown, Westchester County - a 40-minute drive from the Bronx. 'If you're a BX girl then why are you in my Yorktown yearbook?' Slater wrote on X. 'Give it up already.' Alongside his tweet, the Republican lawmaker posted two images: a black-and-white throwback of a young, smiling AOC, and the 2004 yearbook cover from Yorktown High School. In a statement to The New York Post, he dismissed the 'AOC-Bronx mythology' as 'laughable,' adding that the claim is just as laughable to the 36,000 residents of the Westchester community. 'The truth is AOC is Sandy Cortez who went to Yorktown High School and lived at the corner of Friends Road and Longvue Street,' Slater told the outlet. 'She may think it makes her look tough or like some kind of champion for the radical left who voted for Zohran Mamdani, but she really needs to come clean and drop the act,' he added. The takedown came shortly after AOC - who represents parts of both the Bronx and Queens - called for Trump's impeachment following his order to deploy a dozen 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs that reportedly 'obliterated' Iran's three largest nuclear facilities. 'The president's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,' she said on Saturday. 'He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.' Trump swiftly fired back, challenging her to 'go ahead and try impeaching me, again.' 'Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the 'dumbest' people in Congress, is now calling for my Impeachment, despite the fact that the Crooked and Corrupt Democrats have already done that twice before,' he wrote in retaliation. Trump then noted that the liberal firebrand 'can't stand the concept of our country being successful again,' because members of her party 'aren't used to winning.' After that came the personal attacks on the congresswoman's intelligence, as Trump added 'when we examine her test scores, we will find out that she is not qualified for office.' Less than an hour later, AOC replied to Trump's jab, writing: 'Mr. President, don't take your anger out on me - I'm just a silly girl.' 'Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war,' she added. 'It only took you five months to break almost every promise you made.' But Slater - representing parts of both Putnam and Westchester counties - quickly jumped in, posting the two photos with the caption beneath one: 'Here's the Yorktown High School '04 yearbook pic. Friends Road looks nothing like the Bronx.' The 35-year-old left-wing congresswoman has faced scrutiny over her suburban upbringing since her unexpected triumph in 2018 catapulted her onto the national stage. During her campaign, AOC highlighted her deep personal ties to the borough by sharing stories of her childhood and neighborhood life, aiming to authentically connect with Bronx voters and present herself as 'one of their own.' Even during a segment with late-night host Stephen Colbert during Trump's first term, she reaffirmed her Bronx identity, telling him, 'I don't think he knows how to deal with a girl from the Bronx.' However, at just five years old, AOC moved with her family to a modest two-bedroom house on a quiet street in Yorktown Heights - a suburban relocation driven by the search for better schools, according to a 2018 article by The New York Times. In 2007, the congresswoman graduated from Yorktown High School before attending Boston University, where she studied economics and international relations—and briefly engaged with establishment politics - before returning to the Bronx. Once back in the borough, she began advocating for improved childhood education and literacy - and even launched a children's book publishing company aimed at portraying the Bronx in a more positive light. Despite criticism of her suburban roots, AOC has continued to lean into and defend her Bronx narrative, arguing that her time in Yorktown highlighted the stark disparities people face based on where they're born. 'It is nice. Growing up, it was a good town for working people,' she said in reference to Yorktown in a 2018 tweet. 'My mom scrubbed toilets so I could live here & I grew up seeing how the zip code one is born in determines much of their opportunity.' AOC's biography notes that she was born in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx before her family moved north to Yorktown. 'Alexandria's mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico and worked throughout her childhood as a domestic worker,' her biography reads. 'Alexandria's father was a second-generation Bronxite, who ran a small business in The Bronx.' Throughout her childhood, Representative Ocasio-Cortez traveled regularly to The Bronx to spend time with her extended family,' it adds.
