(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Democrat darling and socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced viral ridicule Monday after mistakenly claiming that Venezuela is “below the equator” during a high-profile appearance in Germany.
Ocasio-Cortez made the gaffe at the Munich Security Conference last week while criticizing President Donald Trump’s law enforcement operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on alleged drug-trafficking charges.
“Maduro canceled elections. He was an anti-democratic leader. That doesn’t mean that we can kidnap a head of state and engage in acts of war just because the nation is below the equator,” she claimed.
Critics on X quickly pointed out that Venezuela is not below the equator. The country sits entirely north of the equatorial line.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, blasted Ocasio-Cortez for “showcasing her lack basic geography in Europe instead of spending time helping her constituents.”
He added, “What’s worse is the woke white liberals in Germany felt compelled to clap for her. Wokeness is truly a mind virus.”
AOC pontificates that we can’t just capture the leaders of nations like Venezuela because they are below the equator.
Venezuela is not below the equator. pic.twitter.com/qadcI93rrP
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 16, 2026
Podcast host Jillian Michaels chimed in: “My God – she makes me actually miss Kamala.”
Political commentator Eric Daugherty called her “Dumb as a box of rocks,” while independent journalist Nick Sorter urged her to “PLEASE run in 2028.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s comments come as she positions herself as a major figure within the Democratic Party ahead of the 2028 presidential election cycle.
She had been rumored as a potential candidate for New York governor but later endorsed incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul for reelection, prompting speculation that she may instead be eyeing a White House run.
Ocasio-Cortez joined the House in 2018 after previously working as a bartender.
