Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) faced intense backlash on social media after referring to President Trump as “a rapist” in a tweet, prompting many to suggest her remarks could open the door to a defamation lawsuit from the president.
The controversy erupted Friday after Ocasio-Cortez posted the comment in response to the Justice Department announcement earlier in the week that there would be no further release of any files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X, likely referring to Trump and the 2023 civil trial where a court found him civilly liable for sexual abuse against writer E. Jean Carroll.
However, Trump was not found liable for rape in the case—a key distinction the congresswoman failed to acknowledge, prompting many on social media to urge the president to sue the self-described “Bronx girl” for defamation, the New York Post reported.
“Even under the ridiculously lenient standards of NY Times v. Sullivan, you’ve managed to incur defamation liability. Wow,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote on X, referring to the landmark 1964 Supreme Court libel case.
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“George Stephanopoulos might advise you to take down this tweet,” another person posted.
Trump filed a lawsuit against Stephanopoulos and ABC last year after the This Week host claimed during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) that Trump had been “found liable for rape.”
In December, ABC and George Stephanopoulos agreed to pay $15 million to Trump’s presidential library foundation, along with an additional $1 million in legal fees, as part of a settlement. The network also issued a public apology for the misstatement, The Post noted.
“This is defamatory,” Trump ally Laura Loomer said of Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet. “And I hope you are sued by Trump for this the same way George Stephanopoulos was sued and forced to pay Trump $15 million dollars.”
“The President should sue AOC into bankruptcy,” legal analyst Phil Holloway similarly argued. “I realize she’s trying to raise her profile but this is way way too far,” Holloway added.
The Post noted that the White House would not say whether Trump’s attorneys would consider legal action.
“AOC likes to play pretend like she’s from the block, but in reality she’s just a sad, miserable blockhead who is trying to over-compensate for her lack of self-confidence that has followed her for her entire life,” White House communication director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
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“Instead, she should get some serious help for her obvious and severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted her pea-sized brain,” he noted further, per The Post.
The incident that caused ABC’s fine and apology occurred when Stephanopoulos had a contentious interview in March 2024 with Mace.
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” he asked to the representative after playing a clip of her talking about her assault.
“Well, I will tell you. I was raped at the age of 16, and any rape victim will tell you- I’ve lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped. I didn’t come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt, and it’s a shame that you will never feel, George. And I’m not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim. I’m not going to do that,” the representative said.
“It’s actually not about shaming you, it’s a question about Donald Trump…,” the anchor protested.
“No, you are shaming me,” she fired back.
