{"id":2642411,"date":"2026-08-09T14:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T18:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aoc-blames-2020-lockdown-rhetoric-for-past-defund-the-police-support\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T14:12:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T18:12:55","slug":"aoc-blames-2020-lockdown-rhetoric-for-past-defund-the-police-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aoc-blames-2020-lockdown-rhetoric-for-past-defund-the-police-support\/","title":{"rendered":"AOC blames 2020 lockdown &#8216;rhetoric&#8217; for past &#8216;defund the police&#8217; support"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Faoc-blames-2020-lockdown-rhetoric-for-past-defund-the-police-support%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2642411&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) attributed her previous support for the \u201cdefund the police\u201d movement to the heightened rhetoric during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020. She noted that during that time, political debates expanded significantly, and discussions about policies were more open. She acknowledged that the discourse around crime and policing has shifted as then, emphasizing that current conversations are different from those of 2020, when criticism of police violence was at its peak. Ocasio-Cortez clarified she no longer supports defunding the police and has moved toward focusing on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/full-panic-mode-biden-asks-dnc-to-help-out-virginia-dems-amid-record-fundraising-from-youngkin\/\" title=\"&#039;Biden seeks DNC&#039;s aid as Youngkin&#039;s record fundraising puts Virginia Dems in &quot;Full Panic Mode&quot;.&#039;\">strengthening public safety<\/a> and addressing root causes of crime. she also discussed her broader political plans, including the possibility of a 2028 presidential bid, and expressed respect for candidates running in recent elections. The article highlights the evolution of her stance and the political climate&#8217;s change over the past few years.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"282\">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> (D-NY) suggested the \u201crhetoric\u201d seen during the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/covid-19\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11163\">COVID-19<\/a> pandemic lockdowns in 2020 was to blame for her past support of the \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/defund-the-police\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11370\">defund the police<\/a>\u201d movement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDuring this time and especially during COVID, there was a huge opening of the Overton window,\u201d she <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ThisWeekABC\/status\/2086473378660249772\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ThisWeekABC\/status\/2086473378660249772\">said<\/a> on ABC\u2019s <em>This Week<\/em> on Sunday. \u201cWe were shut down. There were some of the highest unemployment rates that we have seen because of those shutdowns.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4680435\/aoc-lockdown-rhetoric-defund-the-police-support\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>AOC blames 2020 lockdown \u2018rhetoric\u2019 for past \u2018defund the police\u2019 support<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4678896\/trump-work-jeffries-democrats-retake-majority-nice-guy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says he could work with Jeffries if Democrats retake majority: \u2018He\u2019s a nice guy\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4675478\/mike-johnson-max-miller-allegations\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mike Johnson calls Max Miller allegations \u2018serious\u2019 but holds off on calls for him to drop out of race<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe doors were really open in trying to entertain any and every policy that was going to get us to a better place,\u201d she added, \u201cand I actually think that the discussions that were had in that time were quite fruitful.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ocasio-Cortez went on to say that talking about crime today is \u201cfundamentally different\u201d than talking about crime in 2020 and the years leading up to it, when criticism of police brutality was at an all-time high following several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/benefitting-off-the-blood-of-our-loved-ones-mothers-of-tamir-rice-breonna-taylor-slam-patrisse-cullors-black-lives-matter\/\" title=\"\u2018Benefitting Off The Blood Of Our Loved Ones\u2019: Mothers Of Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor Slam Patrisse Cullors, Black Lives Matter\">high-profile police-involved shootings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOf course, rhetoric in that time is not rhetoric that we would use today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Ocasio-Cortez gave her response, ABC News host Jonathan Karl cited her prior support of defunding the police as an example of whether the Left went too far after 2020. The progressive lawmaker has since moved away from her anti-police stance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Karl brought up the issue because <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wisconsin\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"239\">Wisconsin<\/a> state Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/francesca-hong\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"23344\">Francesca Hong<\/a>, a socialist running in the state\u2019s Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday, called for abolishing prisons and police on social media from 2020 to 2021. She has since changed her position, now saying her focus is on strengthening public safety and addressing the root causes of crime instead of defunding the police.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notably, Ocasio-Cortez has not endorsed Hong for governor because her focus is on \u201cwinning back\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"31\">Congress<\/a> for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/midterm-elections\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"308\">midterm elections<\/a>. The House Democrat has endorsed multiple congressional candidates backed by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-socialists-of-america\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"5861\">Democratic Socialists of America<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4680428\/aoc-not-ruled-out-possibility-2028-bid\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4680428\/aoc-not-ruled-out-possibility-2028-bid\/\">AOC SAYS SHE HASN\u2019T \u2018RULED OUT THE POSSIBILITY\u2019 OF 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BID<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m grateful that these candidates have the opportunity to present who they are to their electorate and what they\u2019re campaigning on in this moment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the interview, Ocasio-Cortez invoked a saying used by socialist New York City Councilman Chi Osse: \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cityandstateny.com\/opinion\/2026\/06\/editors-note-woke-1-was-crazyyyy\/414206\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.cityandstateny.com\/opinion\/2026\/06\/editors-note-woke-1-was-crazyyyy\/414206\/\">Woke 1 was crazy<\/a>.\u201d The phrase references past policy positions taken by left-wing politicians during the early months of the pandemic and at the height of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/black-lives-matter\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"906\">Black Lives Matter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AOC blames 2020 COVID rhetoric for past police defund support<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2642412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26200714603582_ace01a.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[83892,8334,43450],"class_list":["post-2642411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2020-lockdown","tag-aoc","tag-defund-the-police"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26200714603582_ace01a.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2642411"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2642415,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642411\/revisions\/2642415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2642412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2642411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2642411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2642411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}