Fact-check: Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez say she doesn't need truckers?

Ciara O'Rourke, PolitiFact.com
·1 min read
7

Viral Facebook post: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “I don’t need truckers. I get my food from the grocery store.”

PolitiFact's ruling: Pants on Fire!

Here's why: In 2019, we fact-checked a false claim that U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., ranted against truck drivers, saying they were "destroying America." It originated on a satire site, and so did another quote that’s now being shared on social media and falsely attributed to her.

"AOC: ‘I don't need truckers. I get my food from the grocery store,’" reads a screenshot of what looks like a news headline. Some people are clearly in on the joke. Others aren’t so sure.

"Idiot," one person wrote. "That’s how it got to the store was a truck driver."

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This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.

The headline appeared on Genesius Times, a site that calls itself "the most reliable source of fake news on the planet."

We looked for reports that Ocasio-Cortez has commented on the so-called "Freedom Convoy" of truck drivers protesting vaccine mandates in Canada but found none.

We rate claims that this quote is authentic Pants on Fire!

Sources

  • Facebook post, Feb. 5, 2022

  • PolitiFact, Fake Ocasio-Cortez quote about professional truck drivers originated from satire website, July 19, 2019

  • Genesius Times, AOC: ‘I don’t need truckers. I get my food from the grocery store,’ Feb. 1, 2022

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Facebook post wrong on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez statement on truckers