(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced her latest accent Monday in a new ad with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. This one, however, appears to be real.
Ocasio-Cortez, who has long branded herself as a proud Latina of Puerto Rican descent, could not shake her English accent while urging immigrant parents in Spanish to register their children for free pre-K.
Spanish speakers on X quickly accused her of sounding like a “gringa.”
Why can’t American politicians get native speakers to proofread the script of political ads? They always sound like if they were using 2014 Google Translate. https://t.co/E0h6fWniNd
— Edgar Beltrán (@edgarjbb_) February 24, 2026
The ad opens with Mamdani sharing the cut-off dates for pre-K sign-ups, saying in Spanish, “To give one last push, I decided to recruit a friend.”
“My Spanish is not the best,” Mamdani admitted as Ocasio-Cortez joined him.
“Don’t worry, mayor,” she replied, continuing through the ad.
Even in this short ad, Ocasio-Cortez struggled with basic Spanish pronunciation, particularly words with rolling “Rs.” She said:
“Si su hijo esta cumpliendo tres o cuatro años en el 2026, usted puede registrarlos gratis en el programa kinder-3 o pre-kinder de la ciudad de Nueva York.”
Her mispronunciation of “tres” and “cuatro” drew mocking responses online, as critics noted a contrast between her self-proclaimed Latina identity and her spoken Spanish.
This is not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has faced scrutiny over her accents.
In 2019, she was accused of deploying a Southern accent at the National Action Network Convention.
In 2024, critics noted a “Southern drawl” while she attacked Trump at the Democratic National Convention.
At a 2025 rally with Sen. Bernie Sanders, she was again accused of using a “strange” accent.
Ocasio-Cortez has dismissed such criticism as “code-switching.” On X, she wrote:
“Folks talking about my voice can step right off. Women’s March & Kavanaugh speech, same. Any kid who grew up in a distinct linguistic culture & had to learn to navigate class enviros at school/work knows what’s up. My Spanish is the same way.”