AOC Recounts Clash With Democratic Leadership Over $15 Wage, Medicare Expansion

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reflected on her rise from working as a waitress to Congress, arguing that working-class Americans felt “betrayed” by Democratic leadership that dismissed populist demands like a $15 minimum wage and expanded health coverage. She framed her political journey as part of a broader global shift, urging renewed commitment to liberal democratic values at a time of rising populism on both sides of the Atlantic.