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AOC Calls “Woke 1” Crazy, Hints at Presidential Run

8/11/2026

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Summary

Story summary

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said “Woke 1 was crazy,” laughed, and told ABC’s “This Week” she has not ruled out a presidential run.
U.S. Representative Brandon Gill (R-Texas) said leftists spent years dividing the country with DEI and now try to downplay it.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the remark proved the left was right to reject the “woke mind virus.”

History

Historical Context

The 1994 Republican Revolution, when Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America helped Republicans win a 54-seat swing and capture 230 House seats—the first House majority since 1952—ushered in a partisan framing of social issues. That realignment shifted Southern whites to the GOP and set a template for culture-war battles that today’s AOC, Ron DeSantis and others invoke in DEI debates.

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Story summary

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said “Woke 1 was crazy,” laughed, and told ABC’s “This Week” she has not ruled out a presidential run.
U.S. Representative Brandon Gill (R-Texas) said leftists spent years dividing the country with DEI and now try to downplay it.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the remark proved the left was right to reject the “woke mind virus.”

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