Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez stepped up her attack on billionaire Elon Musk in her latest fundraising missive, today, over his massive campaign spending on behalf of Republicans.
Musk and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have repeatedly clashed and publicly attacked each other on “X” (formerly Twitter) and in other public forums, as part of a long-running, public feud.
Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has sharply criticized Musk, describing him as a “billionaire con man,” “morally vacant,” and “one of the most unintelligent billionaires” she has ever encountered.
In her latest appeal, Ocasio-Cortez is calling attention to the estimated $455 million Musk has personally spent this year to “help Republicans hold the House and the Senate.” By now, that number is likely higher, she says.
“Let me put that number in perspective for you,” she writes. “That is how much money was donated to Democratic federal campaigns and committees across all of ActBlue during the month of September alone. That money was raised from more than 6 million individual donations giving an average of around $40 apiece.”
“Think about that. In this country, we have conditioned ourselves to accept as normal that one man can have a greater financial impact than 6 million donations from regular folks who are acting to elect people they believe will prioritize their needs over the needs of people who already have it all.”
Musk, she says, is spending an outsized amount of money to preserve his own tax cuts and billions of dollars in federal contracts.
“And that is just one man. Nine of the top ten donors this cycle are Republicans according to The Washington Post. These numbers are as of more than a week ago.
- Elizabeth & Richard Uihlein: $138 million
- Jeff & Janine Yass: $110 million
- Ben Horowitz & Marc Andreessen: $92 million
- Miriam Adelson: $68 million
- Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss: $55 million
- Paul Singer: $54 million
- Greg & Anna Brockman: $50 million
- Christine & Stephen Schwarzman: $36 million
Because donation to individual candidates are limited, these billionaires channel their funds into massive Super PACs that can spend unlimited amounts on television, radio, and digital advertising.
“Do you think they give that money as an act of charity? I think we all know how this works. These mega-donors are giving that much money because they are expecting a return. It’s an investment,” she asserts.
“And the outcomes we get are not a surprise. That is oligarchy.”
Only three Democratic megadonors approach individual Super PAC donations on the same scale.
hedge fund founder George Soros remains the most prolific individual backer of Democratic causes, having contributed $102 million.
Steve and Sue Mandel, also billionaire hedge fund operators have spent at least $20 million.
Most recently, former New York City mayor and billionaire presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, said he was spending $80 million to support Democrats. Bloomberg has belonged to both the Republican and Democratic party during his career.
In contrast, Ocasio-Cortez says her average donation is $16.
As a progressive democratic socialist, Ocasio-Cortez frequently criticizes billionaire wealth, corporate power, union-busting, and Musk’s management and policy changes on “X” (such as verification fees and moderation).
She has described him as “morally vacant” and publicly opposed his government-efficiency and federal-spending cuts under DOGE.
She also considered selling her Tesla due to her opposition to his business and labor.
Musk frequently mockery or dismisses the firebrand’s politics, legislative proposals, and public statements.
He has labeled her “not that smart,”mocked her past campaign merchandise pricing, made remarks about her appearance, and criticized her stances on issues like immigration and federal disaster aid (FEMA)
Keith Girard has four decades of experience as an award-winning reporter, editor-in-chief, and senior media executive. Keith’s career began in Washington, D.C., where he was a reporter for The Washington Post and a contributing editor for Regardie’s and Washingtonian magazines. He also worked as a writer/producer in CNN’s Washington Bureau and has written non-fiction books on the U.S. Marines in the Gulf War and Donald Trump and two novels, “The Heidelberg Conundrum” and “The Curse of Northam Bay.”