AOC rolled up her sleeve — and now she’s punching back at Republican Twitter critics about her decision to get the coronavirus vaccine.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) slammed Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for saying she should go to the back of the vaccine line since she’s young and healthy.
The progressive firebrand reminded the Twitterverse that President Trump and his right-wing allies like Paul spent months downplaying the pandemic and undermining public health response.
“Gee, maybe if the GOP hadn’t spent so much time undermining public faith in science, masks, & COVID itself,” AOC tweeted.
She said she decided to get the vaccine live on Instagram Friday to counteract the effects of GOP efforts to undermine faith in public health measures.
“Then I wouldn’t have to weigh the potential misinfo consequences of what wld happen if leaders urged ppl to take a new vaccine that we weren’t taking ourselves!” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
AOC was responding to Paul, who called her out by name for getting the first dose of the lifesaving jab.
Paul called it “unconscionable” that the 30-year-old lawmaker took the vaccine when millions of at-risk elderly Americans are still waiting their turn.
“AOC or any young healthy person … should be among last, not first,” Paul wrote on Twitter.
The Kentucky conservative, who is also a medical doctor, says he won’t get the vaccine anytime soon because he already contracted the disease. He believes that makes him unlikely to get it again.
Other lawmakers, including fellow Republicans who are fairly young like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), have gotten the vaccine in order to show supporters that it’s safe.
So far, President Trump has declined to get the shot, although he hasn’t explained his decision to the American people.
