News host Chris Cuomo criticized Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) after falling for a deepfake video depicting the lawmaker claiming that a recent Sidney Sweeney ad promoting her "great jeans" was racist.
The controversy began after Cuomo shared the video, marked as a deepfake, on Instagram. "Nothing about Hamas or people burning Jews' cars. But Sweeney jeans ad? Deserved time on floor of Congress? That happened to this party? Fight for small business... not for small culture wars," read Cuomo's post.
The lawmaker answered quickly: "this is a deepfake dude. Please use your critical thinking skills. At this point you're just reposting Facebook memes and calling it journalism." The message prompted Cuomo to delete the post, apologizing for posting the fake video but doubling down on criticism of her.
"You are correct...that was a deepfake (but it really does sound like you). Thank you for correcting. But now to the central claim: show me you calling on Hamas to surrender or addressing the bombing of a car in St Louis belonging to the IDF American soldier?...dude?"
I’m going to assume you were trying to reply to me and burped this tweet into the ether instead.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 7, 2025
You seem to struggle with knowing how to write an apology.
Do you need help? Maybe you should call someone. https://t.co/bkbiWKxbpi
AOC replied again, saying "I'm going to assume you were trying to rpely to me and burped this tweet into the ether instead." "You seem to struggle with knowing how to write an apology. Do you need help? Maybe you should call someone."
Cuomo answered in his NewsNation show, upping the ante once again. "I was wrong. Why you never told Hamas to stop, to surrender. Why would you ignore the the St. Louis attack on the Jewish guy who had his car bombed?" he claimed.
"She was right, they got me. It was really good and it seemed like something she would say. So I thanked her for correcting me. But I did remind her. She ignored the part of the tweet that matters. Why did AOC, the most popular democrat in the country, ignore what I asked on calling Hamas to surrender to end the war they started? She has never said that, that I could find."
AOC has backed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, who defeated Cuomo's brother, Andrew, in the party's primaries. They will face off again in November when Cuomo runs as an independent.
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