U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) raised eyebrows on Sunday when she told ABC’s Jonathan Karl that the “woke one” era was “crazy.” She did not, however, explain what she meant or list any policy concessions beyond attempting to distance herself from her own ideology.
The discussion focused on Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong — who is heavily favored to secure the Democratic Party nomination in Tuesday’s primary contest — over earlier social media posts calling for the abolition of police and prisons and the cancellation of Thanksgiving. Hong has since stated that she has moved away from those views.
Karl asked Ocasio-Cortez about the statements and whether she planned to endorse Hong. Ocasio-Cortez replied that she had not endorsed in the race, a notable deviation from recent endorsements of equally far-left candidates. “My understanding is that… is that Francesca Hong has made clear her present stances to her electorate,” the congresswoman stated.
The shot then noted that Hong had moved away from some of her stated positions throughout the course of the campaign. “Right, she’s moved away from it. And I have a local city councilman that.. has this saying, ‘woke one was crazy,’” she said, which drew a laugh from Karl. “And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now,” she added.
Karl then asked whether AOC had moved away from some similar positions herself, noting that she had previously backed “defund the police” stances herself. The congresswoman responded that pandemic-era discussions on defunding the police were “fruitful” in a rambling answer that didn’t address the question.
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AOC on Wisconsin Democrat candidate for Governor Francesca Hong’s previous calls to abolish prisons and police: “Woke 1 was crazy.” pic.twitter.com/dmlvnUnvcV
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 9, 2026
The phrase “woke one was crazy” originated with New York City Council Member Chi Ossé, who used a similar expression in a May 2026 post on X when addressing a 2021 comment of his own. Ocasio-Cortez then tagged the local official in a post after the interview went viral.
Clips from the interview circulated widely on social media platforms shortly after the broadcast. Commentators noted that the congresswoman did not disavow any policy platforms associated with what she referred to as “woke one” and failed to define the term.
“You don’t get to spend years pushing to fundamentally transform the country, divide it on racial lines, inject DEI into every institution, and then try to brush it off as a minor misunderstanding when your worldview turns out to be extremely unpopular with the American people,” U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) said in response to the clip.
Others similarly pointed to the tangible effects “woke” politics have had on everyday life and declining popularity of far-left causes. “The best part about this is how gleeful Jon Karl is as he and AOC both pretend that any of them have changed their views now that they know that ‘woke”’is unpopular,” Outback contributor Ian Miller posted on X.
“They still believe in all the same things from Woke 1. They just wave their hand now and say ‘we’re different’ while still wanting open borders and pretending men can be women,” wrote conservative commentator Scott Greer.
AOC disavowing “peak woke” today: pic.twitter.com/96L4S6YUGG
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 9, 2026
When exactly did Woke 1 end?
What exactly has changed? They ran a few White guys? https://t.co/7JBfWAHwHT
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) August 9, 2026
AOC, During Woke 1: “The fact of the matter is…we’ve won the generational argument.”
AOC, Now: “Woke 1 was crazy lol.” pic.twitter.com/YL9bQy3WTa
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) August 9, 2026
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