Assemblyman Calls Out AOC for ‘Bronx Girl’ Persona, Questions Her Yorktown Roots

A fiery exchange erupted online after Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) described herself as a tough “Bronx girl” during a social media feud with former President Donald Trump — prompting a New York state lawmaker to challenge her self-characterization.

Republican State Assemblyman Matt Slater, who represents parts of northern Westchester County, took to social media to question Ocasio-Cortez’s Bronx identity. He shared a photograph from a Yorktown High School yearbook, where both he and the congresswoman had been students. Slater, a senior at the time AOC was a freshman, used the image to point out that she spent formative years in Yorktown Heights, an affluent suburb north of New York City.

“If you’re a BX girl then why are you in my Yorktown yearbook? Give it up already,” Slater wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in a direct jab at the congresswoman.

The post quickly gained traction and added fuel to an already heated exchange between Ocasio-Cortez and Trump. The former president, posting on Truth Social, had blasted Ocasio-Cortez as “stupid” and “one of the dumbest people in Congress,” also lumping her in with other Democratic lawmakers whom he criticized as unqualified and unpatriotic.

Ocasio-Cortez fired back by invoking her Bronx upbringing and her toughness. “Also, I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully,” she posted, alluding to Trump’s own origins in Queens.

But Slater wasn’t having it. In a follow-up interview, he explained why he decided to speak out. “When I saw her tweet framing herself as this gritty Bronx product, it just felt dishonest,” he said. “So I reached behind me, pulled out my high school yearbook, and decided to remind people of the facts.”

“You grew up in Yorktown,” he said bluntly. “Let’s stop pretending otherwise.”

Ocasio-Cortez, born in the Bronx, did live in the borough during early childhood, but moved to Yorktown Heights around the age of five. Her family cited better educational opportunities as the reason for relocating. She eventually graduated from Yorktown High School in 2007 before attending Boston University.

In previous social media posts, Ocasio-Cortez has acknowledged her time in Yorktown. “It is nice. Growing up, it was a good town for working people,” she tweeted in 2018. “My mom scrubbed toilets so I could live here.”

However, Slater argues that continuing to invoke her Bronx origins without equal acknowledgment of her suburban background misrepresents her story for political gain. “The problem isn’t that she went to school in Yorktown,” Slater said. “It’s that she seems to gloss over it completely in favor of this curated image.”

Slater emphasized that this isn’t just about geography — it’s about authenticity. “People today want leaders who are real, who don’t try to rewrite their past just to score political points,” he said. “I went to college in New Hampshire, but I don’t go around telling people I’m from New Hampshire. Where you’re from matters, and pretending otherwise isn’t fair to voters.”

Critics of Ocasio-Cortez have often accused her of adopting a political persona that doesn’t fully align with her background. Her defenders, meanwhile, argue that her lived experiences — both in the Bronx and in the suburbs — give her a broad perspective on issues like inequality, education, and housing.

Supporters point to her family’s working-class struggles and her mother’s efforts to provide a better life by moving to the suburbs. “Growing up in Yorktown doesn’t mean she didn’t struggle,” one supporter posted online. “It means her family tried to give her a shot at something better.”

Still, Slater remains unconvinced that her representation is fully honest. “It’s not about hardship,” he said. “It’s about being truthful about who you are and where you come from. When you portray yourself as something you’re not — to win votes or make headlines — that’s where the line is crossed.”

As Ocasio-Cortez continues to spar publicly with high-profile figures and as she remains a vocal and polarizing presence in Congress, questions about her background and authenticity are likely to resurface. For Slater, the issue is straightforward.

“If you’re not going to tell the whole story,” he said, “then someone else will.”