AOC millionaire claim explored as Congresswoman's net worth comes under scrutiny

A claim that American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, has become a multi-millionaire just after four years of working in Congress has been making rounds on the internet. The alleged claim about the 33-year-old personality's net worth was made on September 27, 2023, by a user named @zenotheyounger, which garnered thousands of likes.

@zenotheyounger responded with the claim under a discussion where X (formerly Twitter) CEO Elon Musk called her "not that smart." In subsequent posts, several other people shared the same claim about her financial situation. According to various online sources, others have made accusations that Ocasio-Cortez has a net worth of about $24 million or even $29 million.

However, based on the financial reports of Ocasio-Cortez herself, which are publicly available on the official website of the U.S. House, claims about her being a multi-millionaire are false.

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AOC is not a millionaire, numerous media outlets report

As per a fact-check article by Reuters in August 2022, AOC's financial records reviewed by the outlet showed that she was not a millionaire. The article is also shared on her official website.

Fact-checking website Snopes also reviewed Ocasio-Cortez's monetary disclosures between 2019 to 2023. In her 2023 report, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she has three separate bank accounts with little more than $1,001 to $15,000. These three accounts would come to a total of between $3,003 and $45,000.

She also said in the report that she had extra money in a fourth 401(k) account, ranging from $1,001 to $15,000. Further in the disclosure, she mentioned that she was still making payments on her student loans, with the "amount of liability" ranging from $15,001 to $50,000.

The claims about her net worth began after Elon Musk ignited the long-standing feud with the politician after remarking on the recent comments made by her on New York City's migrant crisis. In a video shared on her Instagram handle on September 22, she said:

“The numbers — when it comes to people coming to New York City today — are nothing, I’m telling you, nothing, compared to the daily amounts of people that we saw coming in through Ellis Island in the first half of [last] century. [There have been] more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. We had seen just huge numbers of people coming in per day that far eclipsed what we’re seeing right now.”

Sharing this video to their X handle, Ashley St. Clair, a conservative commentator, slammed AOC for her thoughts.

Echoing their statement, Elon Musk also took a dig at Ocasio-Cortez, reigniting their long-standing feud.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC, then came to her defense, stating she wasn't "born rich" but "became the youngest woman in American history to be elected to Congress."

Since April 2022, over 116,000 undocumented migrants who entered the US illegally from Mexico and requested asylum have arrived in New York City. Tens of thousands of people are lodging in nearby hotels, while about half of them are in the city's shelter system.