President Donald Trump said Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a potential 2028 presidential candidate and one of the most progressive lawmakers in Washington, doesn't “bug” him that much.
“Somehow I don’t mind AOC that much,” Trump said at an Oct. 25 rally in Michigan, using the congresswoman’s now-famous nickname. “I don’t know why, she doesn’t bug me too much.”
Trump’s positive tone toward the New Yorker came as he's railed against Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, who he has accused of using a fake name and committing other kinds of fraud, calling on her to “IMMEDIATELY resign” from her seat. Omar has denied the president's accusations.
Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, a distinction she shares with New York
City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who Trump has publicly praised in recent months.
During a meeting at Gracie Mansion in New York City, Trump complimented the mayor and said he was excited to visit what he had earlier described as one of his "favorite places."
"It sort of feels like a home, and it's a special place, a very special," the president said. "A beautiful place when you go inside, and I've seen it with numerous different mayors, and I said some great ones and some not so great ones. So hopefully you're going to be a great one. I'll be able to say you're going to be a great one and you're off to a start."
Ocasio-Cortez, Trump have criticized each other for years
Though Trump struck a friendlier tone during his Michigan campaign stop, the president and the Democratic lawmaker have long had a tense relationship.
For example, Ocasio-Cortez last month suggested that an AI data center be put in the president's Mar-a-Lago resort. Her comments came after Trump said that communities that oppose massive data centers would be "backwards and poor," which sparked a heated national debate that saw some GOP lawmakers distancing themselves from the controversial infrastructure.
"How about we put one in Mar-a-Lago? I love that. Let's put a data center up in Mar-a-Lago; we'll see how backwards and poor he is in response to that," Ocasio-Cortez said.
Trump and the New York lawmaker for years have split on issues ranging from the Iran war to immigration. In 2019, in response to a tweet from Trump suggesting that the four members of the progressive "Squad" should "go back" to their countries, Ocasio-Cortez publicly called out Trump.
"You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder," she said. "On top of not accepting an America that elected us, you cannot accept that we don’t fear you, either."
2028 White House campaign on the horizon for AOC?
Trump’s comments about Ocasio-Cortez come as some view the New York congresswoman as a potential 2028 White House candidate.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, she said she would weigh whether to run in 2028 until after the midterm elections; however, she made headlines by saying that the upcoming presidential cycle could present a rare chance.
“There’s an argument that some make that this is a very unique political window and, oftentimes in politics, you do only get one shot,” she told the outlet. “And you don’t – and just in life in general – life doesn’t wait for you to be ready for things. Sometimes life just makes things ready for you.”
Positive polling
Recent polls have shown a realistic chance for Ocasio-Cortez to be a top candidate in a 2028 Democratic primary.
In a New York Times/Siena University poll released on Oct. 24, Ocasio-Cortez ranked fourth, with 6% of respondents backing her in a hypothetical Democratic primary. Another Focaldata/Financial Times poll released earlier this month showed her third, tied with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 9% support.
USA TODAY’s Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says Ocasio-Cortez 'doesn't bug' him 'too much' at rally
