Ocasio-Cortez Says Billionaires Cannot Legitimately Earn Their Fortunes

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., renewed her criticism of the ultra-wealthy on Thursday, claiming billionaires do not legitimately earn their fortunes but depend on a myth to defend their position.

On comedian Ilana Glazer's podcast "It's Open," the prominent Squad member said a ten-figure net worth signals a policy failure, not personal success.

"You can't earn a billion dollars," Ocasio-Cortez told Glazer. "You can get market power. You can break rules. You can do all sorts of things. You can abuse labor laws. You can pay people less than what they're worth. But you can't earn that, right? And so you have to create a myth... you have to create a myth of earning it."

The New York Democrat's comments extend the message that brought her national attention in 2018. She described economic insecurity as a product of a system that makes working-class Americans blame themselves for financial struggles.

"It's not that Walmart pays less than a living wage," Ocasio-Cortez said, imitating what she sees as the imposed public view. "It's that I'm poor and I didn't work hard enough, so I didn't earn a better station in my life."

She connected the wealth gap to cultural divides, arguing economic anxiety fuels attacks on marginalized groups.

"In an era of extreme income inequality, I don't think it's a coincidence that this xenophobia and anti-immigrant feeling is happening at the same time," she said.

Ocasio-Cortez grounded her views in her working-class Puerto Rican roots in New York. She mentioned working as a bartender and waitress to set her story against the corporate narratives she opposes.

"My mom cleaned houses growing up," she said. "My dad was born in the South Bronx."

She recalled her father's death amid the 2008 economic crisis, when her family followed all the rules yet nearly collapsed. "We could have done everything that they said... and you can get sideswiped and there is nothing here to really support you."

Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether any private industry permits legitimate billion-dollar accumulation. When contacted, the office directed Fox News Digital to an X post from Ocasio-Cortez.

"The single largest form of theft in America is wage theft. $50 billion a year are stolen from American workers," she wrote. "Some people get enraged that I draw attention to this. That's on them. Let them call me shrill, dumb, inexperienced, girly, uneducated - these folks will say anything to distract from or undercut the truth that working people are getting screwed, and giving people a fair shake means we must have a grown conversation about reigning in abuse of power."