Ocasio-Cortez rejects criticism that she wasn’t ‘spirited and warm’ during Trump speech

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) rejected criticism that she did not appear “spirited and warm” during President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Responding to a tweet from Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, Ocasio-Cortez called the address “an unsettling night for our country.” 

{mosads}“Why should I be ‘spirited and warm’ for this embarrassment of a [State of the Union]?” the freshman Democrat tweeted. 

“Tonight was an unsettling night for our country. The president failed to offer any plan, any vision at all, for our future,” she added. “We’re flying without a pilot. And I‘m not here to comfort anyone about that fact.”

Why should I be “spirited and warm” for this embarrassment of a #SOTU?

Tonight was an unsettling night for our country. The president failed to offer any plan, any vision at all, for our future.

We’re flying without a pilot. And I‘m not here to comfort anyone about that fact. https://t.co/7bu3QXFMnC

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 6, 2019

Noonan had tweeted that Ocasio-Cortez had “a rare bad night” during the remarks. 

“AOC had a rare bad night, looking not spirited, warm and original as usual but sullen, teenaged and at a loss,” she wrote. 

And good natured with the white jackets, who I see some on twitter are calling the straight jackets. AOC had a rare bad night, looking not spirited, warm and original as usual but sullen, teenaged and at a loss. 2.

— Peggy Noonan (@Peggynoonannyc) February 6, 2019

Ocasio-Cortez, like many of her fellow Democratic women, wore “suffragette” white to the House chamber for Trump’s address. 

Footage of lawmakers during the speech showed Democrats refusing to applaud and shaking their heads during a number of moments throughout the remarks. At one point, Democrats were heard audibly groaning in response to Trump’s mention of migrant caravans headed toward the U.S.

She and other progressive Democrats were critical of Trump’s speech, in particular his comments warning against socialist movements in the U.S.

“I thought it was great. I think he’s scared,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters after the speech.