AOC Slammed for Wearing 'Tax the Rich' Dress at Event That Costs Tens of Thousands of Dollars Per Ticket
All splash and no class was the verdict delivered on Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York after she wore a strapless gown with “Tax the Rich” emblazoned on the back to Monday night’s Met Gala.
The gala, a fundraiser that became a major New York City society event, made its return Monday after being on hiatus due to the coronavirus.
The event comes with a $35,000 ticket price or a fee of $250,000 for a table, according to the Washington Examiner, which noted that the lavish cost might make it seem an unlikely place to find a self-proclaimed socialist.
Actor Michael Rappaport jabbed Ocasio-Cortez for her fashion choice.
“Custom TAX THE RICH dress while at the most elitist event in the world. @aoc will soon be rich with a ginormous production deal from somewhere & done with Politics, guarantee it. Stop treating ANY of these people like celebrities they are public servants that work for US,” he wrote on Instagram.
Many on Twitter sounded off as well.
The epitome of stupidity.#AOC wearing a several thousand dollar dress with “tax the rich” on it at a gala that glorifies the extravagant elite #MetGala pic.twitter.com/f2ATuFatWo
— Lidia Curanaj (@LidiaNews) September 14, 2021
A table at the Met Gala costs around $275,000 and an individual ticket costs $30,000.
If @AOC hates the rich so much, why is she attending an event that only the wealthiest people in America can afford to attend?
I wonder if any journalists will do their job and ask her. https://t.co/lgMHCiJdKX
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) September 14, 2021
What makes @AOC a bigger fraud:
The “tax the rich” dress while she’s hanging out with a bunch of wealthy leftwing elites or the lack of masks after spending the past 18 months as one of the biggest authoritarian mask Karens in the country? https://t.co/pE84Pjquh1
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 14, 2021
Honestly idc if you like AOC or not because there is something so unbelievably tone deaf about attending a Gala with tickets costing 30K a piece and with a designer dress during a time of economic suffering that it is beyond parody
— Actually_Tina_trapped_in_lvl_30_content_FFXIV (@Actually_Tina) September 14, 2021
It would have been one thing for @AOC to wear the TAX THE RICH dress to #MetGala as a protest of the absurd event.
But nope, she’s all in with the stars walking its red carpet.
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) September 14, 2021
Tiana Lowe, writing for the Examiner, said the event was not only bad taste but also bad politics.
“And for AOC in particular, it’s an act of political suicide, not in terms of her own electoral fate (good luck explaining why you partied with the girlfriend of the richest man on the planet and Harvey Weinstein’s ex-wife!), but for the entire Democratic agenda,” she wrote.
The New York Post editorialized about Ocasio-Cortez’s presence at the event, calling her a “gatecrasher.”
“Very droll … until you remember that AOC helped sink Amazon’s new headquarters in Queens that would have brought 25,000 jobs. Long Island City residents would likely trade AOC’s stunt for the economic boom it would have meant for their neighborhood,” the editorial said.
Ocasio-Cortez, of course, had something to say as well.
“We can’t just play along, but we need to break the fourth wall and challenge some of the institutions,” she said, according to USA Today. “While the Met is known for its spectacle, we should have some conversations about it.”
The congresswoman also told a reporter that this was in some way a political event.
Ocasio-Cortez claimed that being on the red carpet with the millionaires and billionaires was “incredibly important, because when we talk about supporting working families and when we talk about having a fair tax code, oftentimes those conversations are happening among working and middle-class people.
“And I think it’s time that we bring all classes into the conversation of having a fair country.”
‘Tax the rich’: @AOC makes a statement with her dress, saying it’s time to bring all classes into the conversation of having a fair country. More from the #MetGala: https://t.co/ZAtWnsyDau pic.twitter.com/r6BrGytQ3c
— Reuters Showbiz (@ReutersShowbiz) September 14, 2021
In a tweet early Tuesday morning, she offered a further explanation for her appearance at the gala lest “haters get wild flying off the handle,” saying, “New York elected officials are routinely invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing and supporting the city’s cultural institutions for the public.”
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