Progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cautioned her Twitter followers on Tuesday that a satirical account mimicking her posts was gaining popularity following an interaction with her adversary, Elon Musk.
The Democratic representative from the Bronx and Queens shared, “FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility. It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread. I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.”
FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 30, 2023
It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread.
I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.
Shortly after, the satirical account named “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody)” issued a response, playfully ridiculing the serious response of the progressive leader with its distinctive sarcastic tone.
“After brainstorming with my staff – I’m going to push Congress to make it illegal to joke, laugh, or make fun of me. Parody should be illegal,” it added.
A particular post, which garnered nearly 400,000 views, took a dig at the congresswoman’s stance on climate change. “To make windmills more effective — when the wind doesn’t blow, we should have helicopters hover over each of them and keep them turning year-round.”
The parody account, which had posted close to 60 tweets in the last three days, caught the congresswoman’s attention when Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, reacted to one of its Sunday posts by using a fire emoji.
I’m having my staff report every single tweet that makes fun of me to the DOJ.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) (@AOCpress) May 30, 2023
This might be the wine talking, but I’ve got a crush on @elonmusk
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) (@AOCpress) May 29, 2023
To make windmills more effective – when the wind doesn’t blow, we should have helicopters hover over each of them and keep them turning year round.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) (@AOCpress) May 30, 2023
Like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, literally.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) (@AOCpress) May 30, 2023
The satirical remark came after a series of contentious interactions between Musk and Ocasio-Cortez on social media, particularly following his acquisition of the platform last year. The congresswoman linked the acquisition to a surge in hate crimes. In response to a Twitter user’s question about whether the ongoing conflict was a type of flirtation, the 51-year-old Tesla CEO, who had previously praised Ocasio-Cortez’s choice of lipstick, stated that she would not date him because he lacked coolness.
According to Twitter’s rules, the platform permits the existence of parody accounts for prominent individuals as long as they clearly differentiate themselves through their account name and bio information.
The parody account’s bio is described as “Saying the quiet part out loud. (parody),” and it displays the same profile picture as the official Twitter platform of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The genuine congresswoman’s account is identified by a gray checkmark, indicating that it represents a government entity.
Interestingly, the fake account has a blue checkmark, which is typically given to Twitter Blue subscribers who pay a monthly fee of $8 and possess accounts that are deemed non-deceptive and non-misleading, as stated in the company’s documentation.
