(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., explained to MSNBC host Joy Reid why Republican President-election Donald Trump’s “they/them” campaign ad contributed to his victory.
As the 2024 race for the White House heated up in September, the Trump campaign ran an ad during the Alabama v. Georgia college football game saying, “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”
In hindsight, various political commentators discussed Trump’s “they/them” ad as one of the most effective pieces of marketing content from the campaign.
On Thursday’s episode of The Reid Out, the host said Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign did not touch gender ideology issues.
Ocasio-Cortez agreed and interpreted the success of Trump’s ad by countering the idea that anti-transgender outrage was the reason for its effectiveness.
“What I think people are paying too much attention to is the first part of that ad,” Ocasio-Cortez told Reid, referencing the clip of Harris supporting transgender surgeries for prisoners.
I present to you AOC’s analysis for Joy Reid on why Trump’s trans ad was so effective. pic.twitter.com/w92E4Gg2Jz
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) November 15, 2024
Ocasio-Cortez urged Democrats to focus on the second half of the ad, which Trump declares his support for “you.”
“Everyone is focusing on that. They’re not focusing on the second half of that ad, where he said, ‘Donald Trump is for you,'” the congresswoman said.
BREAKING: Trump is airing a CRUSHING ad against Kamala during the Alabama v. Georgia game, which tens of millions of voters are watching. The ad shows her supporting taxpayer-funded trans surgeries for prisoners & illegals
"Kamala is for They/Them… Pres. Trump is for YOU."🔥… pic.twitter.com/kqqP5rRRnq
— George (@BehizyTweets) September 29, 2024
As the gears in Ocasio-Cortez’s head turned, she offered some advice to Democrats through her conversation with Reid, telling members of her party to speak to voters in a more personal manner.
“Democrats, in their messaging, they speak in this… in terms and in concepts and not in the second person. ‘I care about you,'” she said. “And political races are not about one candidate versus another candidate. Two often it gets pigeon-hold like that. It is a race to convince a person about who care about you more.”
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.