In the aftermath of a high-stakes election, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) took to Instagram to voice her concerns about what she described as an impending era of authoritarianism and fascism.
Reflecting on the nation’s current political trajectory, she warned that the next four years under President-elect Donald Trump would be “very, very, very difficult” and encouraged Americans to embrace community building to counter the challenges ahead.
“This is real,” she said in an IG video, stressing the severity of the situation. “And I’m not here to sugarcoat what we are all about to collectively experience.”
Despite potential challenges, Ocasio-Cortez urged her followers to build unity rather than succumb to division.
She framed the future as a call to action for the working class, one that requires collective resilience to “block some of the most heinous legislative proposals” that could emerge from a Republican-controlled government.
Ocasio-Cortez also addressed the factors she believes contributed to Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat, refraining from pinpointing a single cause.
Instead, she attributed the shift in key demographics—such as Latinos, young voters, and Black Americans—to a complex array of influences.
Highlighting the need for Democrats to reconnect with working-class Americans, she pointed to a failure in promoting a clear agenda advocating for policies like a national $15 minimum wage and universal healthcare.
In closing, Ocasio-Cortez emphasized the power of small, everyday acts of resistance, encouraging Americans to never view their contributions as insignificant.
“Regimes and autocracies are taken down by billions of drops of small actions that would otherwise be invisible,” she reminded her followers.
Her message Is both a warning and a rallying cry for unity, resilience, and grassroots efforts to safeguard democratic values.
