AOC tells New Yorkers to ‘pull up’ to Alabama during rally speech behind bulletproof glass

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is drawing sharp criticism from conservative voices in the South after delivering a speech in Montgomery, Alabama, calling on northern progressives to travel to conservative-led states and push back against what she described as political repression.

The congresswoman, a leading member of the progressive "Squad" in the U.S. House, spoke at an event called the "All Roads Lead to The South" rally on May 16. In her remarks, she argued that the United States did not become a genuine democracy until the 1960s, when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. She also took direct aim at the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts, accusing the justices of being part of what she called "that long history of regression and repression in America."

The most pointed portion of her address was a call to action aimed at progressive voters outside the South. Ocasio-Cortez urged listeners to travel to states like Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi to confront what she characterized as entrenched political injustice. After the event, she amplified the message on social media, writing, "If you're not from these states, it's time to pull up."

The speech has since generated a heated response online, particularly among southern conservatives who took issue with both the tone and the substance of her remarks. Much of the criticism focused on the security setup at the Montgomery event, where the congresswoman appeared behind bulletproof glass, a detail that critics seized on as evidence of a disconnect between her rhetoric and her willingness to engage directly with the communities she was addressing.

Among those leading the pushback was conservative podcaster Todd Spears, whose reaction video on TikTok drew more than one million views. In the clip, Spears mocked the idea of northern progressives descending on southern states, asking what, exactly, they would do once they arrived.

"Pull up and do what? Help us get the boat off the trailer, like cut the grass, track a deer in the woods?" Spears said. "Roll up and do what exactly? Because you're standing behind, like, pope glass in your own hometown. You come down here starting that s-, you better bring a tank. That's not a good idea. You stay where you're at."

In the caption accompanying the video, Spears also took aim at the framing of Ocasio-Cortez's remarks, writing that "AOC talking about the North 'rolling up' on the South and Alabama, like this is still the 1860s, is wild." He added, "Maybe politicians should spend less time trying to divide Americans and more time fixing the mess we already have."

Another TikTok creator, Kei Bennett, whose own response video surpassed 800,000 views, issued a tongue-in-cheek warning to anyone considering heeding Ocasio-Cortez's call. Bennett, who has more than half a million followers, listed a series of fictional hazards awaiting outsiders in Alabama, from wild hogs to bayou alligators, before landing on his central message.

"I want to issue a stern warning so you do not take her advice and pull up on Alabama," Bennett said. "Down here in the South we don't call cops, we call coroners. Stay your a- up there, leave us alone. We ain't bothering nobody."

Ocasio-Cortez's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The episode highlights the continued friction between progressive leaders and conservative constituencies in the South, and underscores how a single speech can quickly become a flashpoint in the broader national debate over race, regional identity, and political power.