Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly compared Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to Mussolini while discussing her speech at the Democratic National Convention on her podcast “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Monday.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, sometimes colloquially known as AOC, gave a polarizing speech at the DNC in Chicago that was met with great applause from the audience. New York Daily News reported, but was also criticized online by conservatives, according to Daily Mail.
On her show, the former Fox News host claimed that Ocasio Cortez faked an accent during her speech and compared her to Hilaria Baldwin, “who went to a fancy boarding school in either Boston or Rhode Island and is not Spanish at all.” Kelly said Ocasio Cortez was a mix of Baldwin “and also this guy – you may remember him from World War II as the leader of Italy.”
She then showed footage of Mussolini shouting in front of a crowd on a high podium, gesturing dramatically with his arms.
Evan Agostini/Invision via AP
Mussolini was an Italian dictator who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was also known for his public speeches, which he used to gain followers and gain popularity. According to Daily History, Adolf Hitler also modeled his public speeches on Mussolini.
The comments came during the August 20 episode of her podcast, which was also released on YouTube and featured Ruthless podcast hosts John Ashbrook, Michael Duncan, Josh Holmes and Comfortably Smug.
During her speech, Kelly criticized Ocasio Cortez’s speaking style. First she screamed and banged on the table, then she said: “Anyone can go up there and yell at you, she can yell at you, but that doesn’t make you a good speaker. It was like an attack. Don’t feel attacked by what I just did.”
She added: “That’s exactly how I felt when I listened to her.”
Kelly also said she believed Ocasio Cortez was trying to imitate Barack Obama’s 2004 speech, saying, “That was AOC’s goal. That’s everyone’s goal. They’re failing. There’s only one Barack Obama, there’ll never be another Barack Obama. I’m sorry, find your own style.”
Kelly also took aim at Ocasio Cortez on X, writing in connection with her appearance at the DNC: “All AOC wants is to be a star. A congressional Kardashian.”
Ocasio Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens in Congress, was the youngest woman in the U.S. Congress when she was elected in 2019.
Newsweek Ocasio has asked Cortez and Kelly for comment.
Do you have a story we should cover? Do you have questions about this article? Contact[email protected].
