America Belongs to Its People, Not Its Leaders, AOC Says

With the nation’s 250th birthday just around the corner, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is making a case for reclaiming patriotism—and she’s doing it in a way that sidesteps the usual partisan playbook.

In a Tuesday conversation in Washington, D.C., the New York representative acknowledged what many Americans are feeling: it’s genuinely hard to be patriotic right now. But instead of lecturing, she reframed the entire conversation. Patriotism, she argued, isn’t about whoever happens to occupy the Oval Office at any given moment. It’s deeper than that—it belongs to the people and the ideals that have shaped the country across centuries. From the Founding Fathers to the abolitionists to the Suffragettes and everyone in between, America’s identity transcends whoever is in charge today.

Ocasio-Cortez brought it home with her own story. She talked about what it meant to grow up poor in a one-bedroom apartment and then reach Congress—a pathway made possible simply by being born in America. That’s not a small thing. It’s a reminder that the country’s greatest asset has always been its promise of opportunity, regardless of your zip code or your last name.

The conversation also touched on something that’s been nagging at the national consciousness: the American flag itself has become weirdly partisan. Once a universal symbol, it now feels like shorthand for one side or another. Ocasio-Cortez’s take? The symbol doesn’t matter as much as the ideals behind it. She even pointed to a concrete example: her own colleague at TMZ DC, an Australia native, as proof that America’s values can transcend borders and unite people across different backgrounds.

It’s a message worth sitting with as fireworks get unpacked and picnic plans get finalized. Patriotism doesn’t require you to turn off your brain or pretend everything is fine. It means believing in something bigger than today’s headline—and refusing to let anyone else claim it exclusively as their own.