Randros 
In a virtual town hall that drew sharp rebukes from critics and praise from progressives, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) unleashed a blistering critique of President Donald Trump’s administration, labeling it “authoritarian” and accusing it of using threats to bully media outlets into silence.
Speaking to a modest audience of constituents from New York’s 14th District on Thursday evening, Ocasio-Cortez framed the president’s actions as a desperate bid to mask his unpopularity, emphasizing that ordinary Americans hold the real power to resist through collective action like boycotts.
The event, one of Ocasio-Cortez’s increasingly infrequent direct engagements with voters amid a packed legislative schedule, lasted over an hour and covered topics from immigration policy to economic inequality.
But it was her extended remarks on Trump’s media strategy that dominated headlines, echoing concerns raised by free speech advocates and late-night TV hosts alike.
Ocasio-Cortez opened her discussion on authoritarianism by drawing a clear line between bluster and reality.
“It is very important to understand that authoritarians rely on the perception of power, not on the reality that they have power,” she said, her voice steady through wired earbuds as she addressed the camera from her Queens office.
“They need people to believe that they are more powerful than they actually are.”
She quickly pivoted to Trump’s polling woes, citing recent surveys showing his approval ratings mired in the low 40s – his lowest since taking office in January 2025.
“Donald Trump is less popular than he has ever been.
He is underwater on virtually every issue,” Ocasio-Cortez declared.
“If you oppose and are disgusted by what this administration is doing, you are in the company of a majority of Americans.
You are not alone. More people disapprove and are opposed to this administration right now than they are in support of this administration.”
This wasn’t mere rhetoric, Ocasio-Cortez argued; it was a call to action rooted in data.
Polling aggregators like FiveThirtyEight have indeed shown Trump trailing on key issues such as the economy (45% approval), immigration (38%), and foreign policy (42%), with independents – a crucial swing group – expressing deep skepticism.
Citing High-Profile Media Clashes
To illustrate her point, the congresswoman pointed to recent dust-ups involving late-night comedy staples, portraying them as chilling examples of Trump’s “extortion-style tactics.”
She referenced ABC’s temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel in August 2025, which followed the host’s on-air jest about conservative activist Charlie Kirk amid heightened tensions over political violence.
The move came mere hours after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, issued a pointed warning to ABC: “We can do this the easy or the hard way.”
Kimmel was back on air within days, a development Ocasio-Cortez credited not to White House benevolence but to swift public backlash.
“People started to say, if you comply with authoritarianism, we are going to vote with our pocketbook,” she recounted.
“Those boycotts changed the course.”
Social media erupted with #BoycottDisney trends, amassing over 500,000 posts in 48 hours, forcing the network to reconsider amid fears of advertiser pullouts.
Ocasio-Cortez didn’t stop there.
She evoked CBS’s abrupt decision earlier this year to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after the comedian skewered Trump’s handling of a border policy fiasco.
“CBS announced that they were ending the Stephen Colbert show after some… critical comments of the Trump administration,” she said, pausing to emphasize the suddenness.
“But nevertheless, they announced out of nowhere the ending of his show.”
Colbert’s ouster, which CBS attributed to “strategic programming shifts,” came on the heels of FCC murmurs about license renewals for networks airing “biased content.”
“These are not just small or flippant things.
These are exercises in power,” Ocasio-Cortez stressed.
“The Trump administration, as we have seen, has threatened the FCC licenses of people who air their political critics.”
The pattern, she suggested, is one of preemptive compliance: “They rely on everyone complying in advance out of fear.”
The White House pushed back forcefully, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissing the claims during Friday’s briefing.
“Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension had everything to do with plummeting ratings – down 22% year-over-year – and nothing to do with politics,” Leavitt said.
Colbert’s cancellation, she added, was a “business decision” unrelated to any administration pressure.
A Roadmap for Resistance: Boycotts, Solidarity, and Looking Out for One Another
Beyond diagnosis, Ocasio-Cortez offered a pragmatic playbook for pushback, urging attendees to channel their frustration into tangible steps.
“We cannot be scared of this administration,” she implored.
“The risks are very real. We must look after one another.
The impacts are devastating, but in moments where they want us to comply in advance and we have the ability and the choice not to, we should exercise that.”
She highlighted the Kimmel boycott as a “case study” in grassroots efficacy, noting how consumer pressure – from trending hashtags to canceled Disney+ subscriptions – forced a reversal.
“In order to mask [his unpopularity], Donald Trump is trying to take control of the media,” she added, linking the incidents to a broader erosion of press freedoms.
The town hall, streamed live on YouTube and Facebook, peaked at around 15,000 concurrent viewers – a figure critics like conservative commentator Nuyrican derided as underwhelming for a district of over 750,000 residents.
A Wake-Up Call on Democracy
As the dust settles, Ocasio-Cortez’s town hall underscores a deepening partisan chasm, with Democrats framing Trump’s second term as an existential threat to institutions.
Analysts point to a “disconnect between what Trump threatens to do and what his administration can do,” as one report put it – a gap that boycotts and public defiance could exploit.
Yet with midterm elections looming in 2026, the real test will be whether her message translates to turnout.
For now, in a district that flipped blue in 2018 and has held firm, Ocasio-Cortez’s words serve as both rallying cry and reminder: Power, perceived or real, bends to the will of the many.
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