US AOC ted cruz

Ted Cruz called Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a ‘parasite sucking on the taxpayer’ and her A++ comeback got a standing ovation from the internet

John Plunkett. Updated May 13th, 2026

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Republican senator Ted Cruz raised eyebrows this week when he called his Democratic opponent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a ‘parasite sucking on the taxpayer’.

He was responding to AOC’s comments that wealth beyond a certain point – say, a billion dollars – come from an abuse of power rather than being genuinely, properly earned.

Here’s what Cruz had to say, choosing to highlight how AOC earned a living before becoming a congresswoman.

‘I recognize for her –– given that she was a bartender –– that is probably true, and there is no disrespect to bartenders.

‘Bartenders are an honorable profession. But she went from that to being a government employee and a parasite sucking on the taxpayer.’

And we mention it because of what AOC had to say in response, earning a standing ovation from basically the entire internet.

Boom!

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Source @Acyn