Ocasio-Cortez knocks Vance Board of Peace joke

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) knocked Vice President Vance for the silence that followed after he tried to rib her during President Trump’s inaugural Gaza Board of Peace meeting Thursday in Washington. Vance first thanked Trump for his leadership before making a joke about Ocasio-Cortez after she appeared to stumble through one of her responses at the Munich Security Conference last week, when she was asked about whether the U.S. should commit troops to defend Taiwan against China. Ocasio-Cortez also falsely referenced Venezuela as being “below the equator.” “I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but then after the president said that I was so smart, and that I didn’t want to repeat our congresswoman who froze for 20 seconds over in Munich — now, I’m tempted, sir, just to freeze for 20 seconds and just stare at the cameras and maybe they’ll say nice things about me like they do about Congresswoman Cortez,” he said. His nudge at the New York Democrat‘s slip-ups, however, was met with silence. “The only thing longer than my pause to think was their silence to his joke,” the lawmaker wrote on social platform X, alongside a video of his comments. Her remarks in Munich received mixed reactions from Democrats. While some said she did well, the Taiwan response and other comments sparked criticism from some who suggested she lacked foreign policy experience — which could be critical if she chooses to run for higher office. Ocasio-Cortez has been floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. Though, she said her speech in Munich was unrelated. Trump blasted the lawmaker for her comments at the summit, which he said was “not a good look.” Vance also previously called the speech “embarrassing.” The president launched the Board of Peace last month and called on many nations to join, though some have rejected the invitation. The panel is tasked with overseeing execution of the U.S.-brokered 20-point peace plan to reconstruct Gaza amid the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the region following over two years of conflict. Leadership on the board includes the president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Work Bank President Ajay Banga, Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner and two billionaire investors: Robert Gabriel and Marc Rowan. Kushner, during the first meeting Thursday, was also designated as the “peace envoy.” Representatives from roughly 40 nations attended the inaugural event. Trump also announced that the U.S. would commit $10 to the board’s mission.