AOC slams Marjorie Taylor Greene over “petty” New York City complaint

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is the personification of a “petty” homeowners association complaint, according to Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

During an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, Greene described New York City as “repulsive” and “bad” smelling while complaining about her Manhattan protest against the arrest of former President Donald Trump being cut short due to counter-protesters on the previous day.

Greene made the remarks after Carlson referred to the “home” of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and asked her to provide a review of the metropolis. Earlier in the week, Adams, a Democrat, warned Greene to be on her “best behavior” ahead of the planned protest, while accusing her of spreading “misinformation and hate speech.”

“His home is disgusting,” Greene told Carlson. “I compared it to what I called Gotham City. The streets are filthy, they’re covered with people basically dying on drugs. They can’t even stand up, they’re falling over.”

“There’s so much crime in the city,” she continued. “I can’t comprehend how people live there. It was repulsive. It smells bad. And I just think it’s a terrible place.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who represents a congressional district in Queens and the Bronx, took issue with Greene’s assessment in a pair of tweets a short time later.

“If a petty HOA complaint were a person,” Ocasio-Cortez commented in response to a clip of Greene’s remarks.

“If anyone went on TV and talked about a rural area like this, it’d be gloves off – and deservedly so,” she added. “This is no different. If she doesn’t like the greatest city in the United States, that’s her problem. I [love] NY.”

While the crime rate in New York City has risen in recent years, it is nowhere near historical highs and remains lower than in most other major U.S. cities. Additionally, an analysis published by Bloomberg last year argued that residents of the city are safer than many in small towns across the country.

Greene’s pro-Trump protest was cut short after the Manhattan crowd whistled, booed and shouted “liar” at her on Tuesday morning. Greene told Carlson that Adams was responsible for the “chaos,” having “put out a dog whistle for violence against me” by warning her to behave.

Greene previously accused a protester armed with a whistle of “assault” after her speech was drowned out following a visit to January 6 defendants at a D.C. jail last month.

In an interview with far-right outlet Right Side Broadcasting Network shortly after her aborted protest on Tuesday, the congresswoman compared the “persecution” of Trump, who was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, to that of figures like Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ.

Newsweek has reached out via email to the office of Greene for comment.