AOC claims American Revolution fought billionaires, draws Republican backlash

Representative Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez told students at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics that “the American Revolution was against the billionaires of their time,” framing the 18th‑century conflict as a class war against wealth.

Her remarks prompted sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Mike Lee, who called the claim “spectacularly wrong,” and Sen. Ted Cruz, who said the Revolution opposed an overreaching government, not affluent merchants. Historians noted the founding fathers fought British tyranny and taxation, not modern billionaires, and highlighted that many of those leaders were themselves wealthy landowners.

The episode sparked a broader debate over historical interpretation and the use of the Revolution to support contemporary policy arguments.