Biden BACKS AOC: President says it's 'time super-wealthy pay more tax' after leftwing firebrand wore Tax the Rich dress to the Met Gala
President Joe Biden has thrown his support behind Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez's Met Gala stunt as he agreed it's 'time super-wealthy pay more tax'.
A day after the leftwing firebrand made headlines by wearing a custom white gown with the words 'tax the rich' emblazoned across it to the $35,000-a-head-even, Biden used the momentum to plug his Build Back America Act.
'It’s time the super-wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes,' he tweeted.
Congresswoman AOC, who was slammed as hypocritical and tone deaf by many for trying to pass off the stunt as a political protest, tweeted her agreement with Biden a half-hour later.
'Couldn’t agree more. Taxing the rich will help us expand Medicare, extend childcare, take action on climate, and so much more,' replied Ocasio-Cortez. who had boasted that her dress had boosted Google searches about 'our f****d up tax code'.
'We have a precious opportunity right now in reconciliation with the Build Back Better Act, and we should use it.'
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez has been on a quest to tax the wealthy after her Met gala dress stunt. She was backed up on Twitter by President Biden
AOC (left) reminded followers - yet again- that taxing the rich is the solution to most of America's problems, after she was she is backed up on Twitter by President Biden
Two hours later, Biden used the segue to detail the proposed legislation, which House and Senate Democrats aim to pass into law by the month's end.
'To be clear: If you make under 400k, my Build Back Better Agenda won’t raise your taxes a cent,' he tweeted.
'Not only that — you’ll get a historic tax cut, and see lower costs on things like child care and health care. And all of it will be paid for by the wealthy paying their fair share.'
The package, worth $3.5trillion, will raise taxes on corporations and those making over $400,000 per year if it makes it through Congress. The bill is focused on helping families and combating climate change and is progressives’ top priority - currently, the bill is in the process of markup and reconciliation.
AOC said she'd been invited to the event as an elected official. DailyMail.com can reveal the Met Museum comped her ticket and Bill de Blasio's
Earlier today, AOC also tweeted that the 'tax the rich' movement was a nonpartisan matter and shared articles from ProPublica, CBS News and The New York Times tackling on the issue
'We’re going to put money directly into the pockets of American workers by lowering the costs of child care and elder care, and making universal preschool a reality,' Biden elaborated on Twitter later in the day.
'These investments add up to thousands of dollars in savings each year for working families. That’s a big deal.'
The act is a third of Biden's original 'Build Back Better Plan,' which also included a proposal to rebuild American infrastructure and create jobs, and a COVID relief portion that was passed in March of this year.
'We face a fundamental choice in America right now as we rebuild our economy: this time, will everyone get in on the deal?' said a White House memo issued last week regarding the legislation. 'The time is now. We have to meet the needs in front of us. Not tomorrow, not months from now, not next year. Right now.'
Earlier today, AOC also tweeted that the 'tax the rich' movement was a nonpartisan matter and shared articles from ProPublica, CBS News and The New York Times tackling on the issue.
'After a year where frontline workers were thrown into harm's way (many w/o hazard pay or adequate healthcare) while billionaires hoarded another $4 TRILLION, members of both parties have tried to halt taxing the wealthiest in our society.
'It's unacceptable. We must Tax the Rich,' she concluded.
But Twitter users remained critical of AOC's Met gala stunt
Another Twitter user jumped to AOC's defense, stating that her dress had actually initiated a conversation on the issue. 'She got you attention in the donated designer dress, and invitation. I'd say she's quite brilliant,' they wrote
AOC also addressed 'haters' who criticized her Met gala bold fashion statement and branded her a hypocrite. She said that she was invited as one of New York's elected officials in charge of 'overseeing and supporting the city's cultural institutions for the public.'
But the backlash remained large in the platform, as users continued to bring up the irony in her message and the platform that she used to deliver it.
'By 'the rich', do you mean the kind of people who could afford the stuff sold on the website of the designer who designed your dress & invited you to the Met Gala?,' tweeted an user.
Another Twitter user jumped to AOC's defense, stating that her dress had actually initiated a conversation on the issue.
'She got you attention in the donated designer dress, and invitation. I'd say she's quite brilliant,' they wrote.
The Democrat firebrand attended Tuesday night's star-studded event as guests of the museum, according to Met Museum spokeswoman Nancy Chilton.
Ocasio-Cortez's boyfriend, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife and son also took free tickets worth total of $175K, that could have been sold to support the museum.
The $35,000 ticket proceeds go to the Met's Costume Institute, one of the only departments that doesn't receive government funding, to supports its exhibitions, acquisitions, and capital improvements.
AOC did not buy her own ticket but mystery remains over who paid for the politicians, after it was revealed that event organizer Conde Nast did not cover the cost of the tickets.
Neither de Blasio nor Ocasio-Cortez had specified who footed the bill on Tuesday.
De Blasio's rep told Politico that he made the decision to attend the event, somewhat ironically, in an economic meeting 'months ago'.
'The mayor made the decision to attend months ago in one of his hours long economic recovery war room meetings led by Lorraine Grillo. He wanted to highlight a local designer who had been able to make it through the pandemic.
'It's a notable way to grab people's attention and highlight the return of the city's fashion industry jobs.'
AOC was spotted leaving with Aurora James, the designer behind her 'tax the rich dress' and her boyfriend, Benjamin Bronfman - the heir to the Seagram's fortune.
He is also the nephew of Clare Bronfman, who was accused of funding NXIVM sex cult with donations to Keith Raniere.
AOC also left the party with her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, and James.
She boasted to the magazine: 'The Met Gala is seen as elite and inaccessible...As a working class woman, [I] wanted to enjoy the event but also break the fourth wall and challenge the industry,' she proudly told Vogue at the event.
AOC with her boyfriend Riley Roberts (far right), her dress designer Aurora James and Benjamin Bronfman (far left), James' partner who is the heir to Seagrams Company Ltd. The group was pictured leaving at midnight. AOC claimed she'd been 'invited' as an elected official. DailyMail.com can reveal she was a guest of the Met Museum
AOC poses in her 'Tax The Rich' dress while movie star Megan Fox waits behind her. AOC attended the event with designer Aurora James in what she claims was a political protest
AOC has been slammed for supporting the event by many who say she simply wanted to enjoy the limelight while trying to pass it off as a political protest in yet another example of her tone-deaf hypocrisy.
The congresswoman, who previously posed on the cover of Vanity Fair, drives a $35,000 Tesla and claims to be '100% grass roots from the Bronx' despite growing up in a wealthy NYC suburb.
She wore a borrowed dress from Brother Vellies, James' celebrity-adored NYC label.
Before the gala, AOC got ready at The Carlyle hotel on the Upper East Side, where rooms cost upwards of $1,000-a-night. She was escorted to a chauffer-driven car, with someone carrying the train of her dress, and she waved to screaming fans as she left the hotel
The only jewelry she wore was a pair of $450 gold hoops from Mejuri and a $65 ring from the same brand.
She didn't wear a mask, like many of the other guests.
The event was for fully vaccinated guests only but the celebrities in attendance - who regularly preach online about COVID rules - ignored the guidance of the CDC and liberal states like California, where masks are recommended indoors regardless of vaccination status.
In a proud Instagram post about the event and her choice of outfit, AOC said: 'The medium is the message. Proud to work with Aurora James as a sustainably focused, Black woman immigrant designer who went from starting her dream Brother Vellies at a flea market in Brooklyn to winning the CDFA against all odds - and then work together to kick open the doors at the Met. The time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the Rich.
'And yes, BEFORE anybody starts wilding out - NYC elected officials are regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city's cultural institutions that serve the public.
'I was one of several in attendance. Dress is borrowed via Brother Vellies.'
Outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who previously said he'd never attend the event, also attended the event.
In a statement in a press release by Brother Vellies, AOC said: 'There's no way I'd be doing this if it wasn't with a woman of color and with the intent to grow the table and empower women that look like me.
'Despite being held in New York City, the culture of the Met Gala is everything but.
'NYC is often synonymous with inclusivity, inviting millions of people from different walks of life to call this city home.
'The Met Gala, on the other hand, is seen as elite and inaccessible. I'm attending today because I want to change just that and spotlight women of color who are often not included during events like these.'
Donald Trump Jr led the criticism, blasting AOC as a 'fraud' while pointing out that she was also not wearing a face mask 'after spending the last 18 months as one of the biggest mask Karens in the country'.
Andray Domise, a writer and partner in black news network Rezistans Nwa, also pointed out that the gala was taking place just yards from where the NYPD were arresting 'defund the police' protesters - a cause that AOC has previously supported.
'Police were creasing people's heads outside while you and your friends were nibbling watermelon tarts with smoked yuzu soy on panipuri crackers,' he said
Greg Price, a writer for the Daily Caller, added: 'AOC grew up in a wealthy suburb, went to one of the most expensive colleges in America, makes a six figure salary, drives a Tesla, lives above a whole foods, and is currently at an event that costs more to attend than America's average personal income.'
AOC was slammed for attending the event with her boyfriend and lapping up the limelight
Actor and comedian Michael Rappaport also weighed in. He shared a picture of AOC in a dress fitting session and captioned it: 'Custom TAX THE RICH dress while at the most elitist event in the world.
'Will soon be rich with a ginormous production deal from somewhere & done with Politics, guarantee it.
'Stop treating ANY of these people like celebrities they are public servants that work for US.'
As she made her Met Gala debut, AOC will have passed crowds of BLM protesters clashing with police outside the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Brothers Vellies, James' luxury brand, is often worn by celebrities such as Beyoncé, Meghan Markle, Zendaya, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, according to the brand's website.
It is AOC'S first time attending the gala, but her political message has already drawn controversy during this year's 'In America: A Lexicon of Fashion' exhibit. It was also James' gala dress debut.
James and Ocasio-Cortez said they were inspired by their experiences as working women of color to make the political statement at the Met gala.
James is the founder of the 15percent Pledge, a nonprofit that asks brands to 'pledge 15percent of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses.'
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