AOC accused of fake accent at a Memphis rally, compared to Harris

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Y) was accused of using an accent during a rally in Memphis last week, and critics on social media compared her to former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Ocasio-Cortez was speaking at a campaign rally in Memphis on Friday on behalf of progressive U.S. House candidate Justin Pearson, who currently serves as a Tennessee state representative.

“We can’t afford to leave Tennessee behind,” he said. “We can’t afford to leave Kentucky behind, we can leave Alabama behind, we can’t afford to leave Mississippi behind, we can’t afford to leave Georgia behind, we can’t afford to leave South Carolina behind. There’s no country we’re leaving.”

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“About a month or two ago we were in Montgomery, Alabama – Sister [Rep. Ayanna] Pressley and I were in Montgomery, Alabama, and one of the things we said was that it was time for the North to head South,” Ocasio-Cortez continued.

Critics online highlighted this part of his speech, saying he used a “fake accent.”

Actor Michael Rapaport, who said he will run for mayor of New York in 2029, said on social media: “‘AOC from the Bronx talks like a southern Baptist preacher when she’s in Memphis.”

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“Hillary Clinton has developed an accent. Kamala Harris has developed an accent. AOC has developed an accent. They’re all arrogant,” conservative communications strategist Steve Guest said on social media.

“Rep. AOC caught putting FAKE EMPHASIS for a predominantly black audience. She’s seriously going Kamala for 2028.” another user wroterefers to a potential presidential bid.

Democratic congressional candidate State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, second from right, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., second from left Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. and Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., take the stage during a campaign rally on Friday, July 17, 2026, in Memphis, Tennessee. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)

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Harris has repeatedly been accused of changing her accent depending on the group of people she is speaking to.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the 88th National Convention of the American Federation of Teachers on July 25, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)

In 2024, Harris was criticized for using what critics called a fake Southern accent while speaking at a rally in Atlanta in July 2024 and again at a Labor Day rally in Detroit that year. During her 2021 overseas trip to France, critics claimed Harris used a “French accent” while touring a COVID lab.