A parody of herself: AOC goes to war with viral parody account on Twitter

Socialist Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), lit up Twitter on Tuesday, sharing her histrionic reaction to a popular parody account that artistically crafts a satirical version of the congresswoman – and effectively blowing up its existence.

The account, cheekily titled "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody)," became an overnight sensation when Twitter helmsman, Elon Musk, gave a nod of acknowledgment to one of its tweets.

The lighthearted exchange involved a playful confession from the parody account, stating, “This might be the wine talking, but I’ve got a crush on @elonmusk.” Musk responded in kind, striking a chord with a fire emoji.

The congresswoman took to her Twitter, addressing her followers about the account. "FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility. It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread. I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see."

FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility.

It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread.

I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 30, 2023

The parody account first entered the spotlight back in 2018 and enjoyed a decent fanfare before taking a hiatus in May 2019. It returned to the stage on May 22 of this year, delivering an entertaining performance with hundreds of tweets in the past week.

Among the account's delightful quips are gems like:

I’m having my staff report every single tweet that makes fun of me to the DOJ.

To make windmills more effective – when the wind doesn’t blow, we should have helicopters hover over each of them and keep them turning year round.

The parody account had a minor misstep when its Twitter Blue checkmark, a $8/month perk, mysteriously disappeared for a short spell on Tuesday. It was soon back in action, resuming its performance.

Some speculated that the account may have overstepped the bounds of Twitter Blue's terms of service by being "misleading and deceptive," but others noted that AOC's authentic account boasts a far greater audience, complete with the gray checkmark bestowed upon "government or multilateral" representatives.

The Venn diagram between reality and satire is a perfect circle.

It's clearly marked as a parody. You should also mark your own account as a parody because you're like a parody of a politician.

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 30, 2023