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New York politics met online outrage again this weekend as transphobic activist Riley Gaines clashed with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) on social media. On Sunday, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and AOC joined New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani at a rally in the city. They delivered speeches before a crowd of around 13,000 supporters. Clips spread quickly, especially AOC’s comments celebrating New York’s diversity and the nation’s broad identity. Meanwhile, conservative critics looked for a way to pick apart the moment. A former college swimmer, Gaines is known for her anti-transgender women in sports stance. In 2022, she tied with Lia Thomas for fifth place at the NCAA Championships, leading her down the path of anti-trans activism. On Oct. 26, 2025, after the rally, Gaines posted a photo of the political trio on X with the caption, “We’re being destroyed from within.” AOC and Riley Gaines spar on X Gaines repeated her stance throughout this year. She even appeared in a Department of Health and Human Services video. In it, she praised President Donald Trump’s policies barring trans women from women’s sports. Soon after the rally clips trended, AOC fired back at Gaines’ latest jab. @AOC tweeted, “Maybe if you channeled all this anger into swimming faster you wouldn’t have come in fifth.” Consequently, the exchange blew up online. Gaines went on Fox News after the tweet gained traction. She told viewers she wanted to “challenge AOC to a debate.” Gaines laid out her proposed topics, saying, “She can defend socialism; I will defend capitalism. She can defend removing God; I will defend embracing a biblical worldview. She can defend child sacrifice; I will defend the sanctity of life. Any of the radical, insane Democrat policies and platform that they stand for, I will debate the opposite. I’m challenging AOC to it here.” However, AOC answered again with a clapback. “And I would like to challenge this person to get a real job,” she wrote on X. Social media reactions Online, reactions stacked up. While many applauded AOC for her witty response, they were drowned out by the conservative transphobic X users and trolls. @gaudipern.bsky.social wrote, “White folks tell on their own racism in the weirdest ways. It’s sh*t like Riley Gaines going on FOX News to ‘challenge’ AOC to a debate and the co-hostess casually following it with ‘I thought you were challenging her to a freestyle or something.’ You know where that thought came from. You know.” Moreover, @sundaedivine.bsky.social added, “Riley Gaines challenging AOC to a debate is like challenging a Tesla to a spelling bee.” @thorbenson.bsky.social joked, “Who knew witnessing a murder could make you laugh.” On X, meanwhile, @JohnathonTrick tweeted, “Never seen a professional swimmer get drowned by a member of congress.” “She’s too good at this. She’s much more too the left then I am but I fully respect her,” @LatticedJennaly added. The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
