Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican and Air Force veteran, publicly defended Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after Sen. John Kennedy mocked AOC’s previous work as a bartender. Luna called such attacks “tone deaf,” urged protection for service workers and pushed for attention to the SAVE Act. AOC replied that her service-sector experience strengthens her ability to represent working people. The incident follows AOC’s speech at the Munich Security Conference, which has drawn GOP criticism.
Unexpected Ally: MAGA Rep. Defends AOC After GOP Senator Mocks Her Bartending Past
Republican Anna Paulina Luna called Senator John Kennedy 'tone deaf' for his comments on AOC's past work as a bartender. / X/@RepLuna
Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna publicly defended Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after Republican Sen. John Kennedy mocked Ocasio-Cortez’s past work as a bartender. Luna’s response — posted on X (formerly Twitter) — drew attention for its defense of service-industry workers and its call to focus on legislation affecting them.
The senator also told Fox News' Sean Hannity that AOC was 'not a policy maven,' and joked that the GOP used
Luna Pushes Back
The Air Force veteran and outspoken Trump supporter wrote that she disagrees with many of AOC’s policy positions and could debate her on those matters, but that belittling someone for having been a bartender is “tone deaf.” Luna added that many public servants do not come from political pedigrees and that hardworking Americans who attended school and held jobs have every right to run for office.
AOC's post on X responding to Kennedy's comments. / Screenshot/Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez/X
“Plenty of people don’t come from political pedigree. Shoot, half of DC spends its time in bars and love the bartenders,” Luna wrote. She also urged attention to service-worker protections: “NO TAX ON TIPS AND NO TAX ON OVERTIME is FOR the service industry workers. Focus on calling out McConnell for BLOCKING THE SAVE ACT. THAT’S A WIN!”
The Kennedy Remarks
Sen. Kennedy made the barbed comments during an appearance on Fox News’ Hannity Special after AOC’s Feb. 13 speech at the Munich Security Conference — remarks that drew criticism from several Republican figures. Kennedy quipped that the congresswoman is “kind of like Vice President Kamala Harris, but with more bartending experience,” and added that AOC “has never been accused of being a policy maven.”
AOC defended herself against the remarks, made after Trump called her and Gavin Newsom 'an embarrassment' for their speeches at the Munich Security Conference. / Joshua Roberts/Reuters
AOC Responds
Ocasio-Cortez answered on X, writing that her experience as a waitress “makes me 1000x more qualified to govern on behalf of working people than whatever lifelong politician nonsense you’ve swung from your whole career.” She concluded: “Why should working people vote for you if this is what you think of them?”
Broader Context
At the Munich Security Conference AOC criticized former President Trump for ushering in what she called an “age of authoritarianism.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom used his trip to Europe to formalize a clean-energy agreement with the United Kingdom. Separately, former President Trump criticized AOC and Newsom on Truth Social while praising a senator he referenced as “Marco” for his Munich performance.
Why it matters: The exchange highlights tensions that cross partisan lines — where a Republican lawmaker defended a progressive colleague against personal attacks, and emphasizes ongoing debates over how public servants’ backgrounds are framed in political discourse.
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