Now the darling of the American far left goes to Glasgow

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the darling of America's far left who notoriously wore a 'tax the rich' dress to the £26,000-a-ticket red carpet event - was mobbed by supporters today as she arrived in Glasgow for COP26.

The 32-year-old Bronx congresswoman, perhaps the leading proponent of 'Woke' politics across the Pond, received a rockstar reception as she strode into the SEC conference centre alongside a delegation of nearly two dozen Democrats led by House speaker Nancy Pelosi after they flew into Scotland on a government jet.

The firebrand socialist told reporters 'it would be a dream' to spend some time with the thousands of climate activists who have gathered outside the summit, and when asked if she had a message for them, said: 'Stay in the streets, keep pushing.'

Ms Ocasio-Cortez's controversial Green New Deal aims to make the US carbon-neutral in 10 years while also tackling racial injustice, which she believes is a primary factor behind climate change. The proposal contains few concrete proposals and has been panned by Republicans as a 'radical, socialist wish list'.

Asked today what she hoped to achieve in Glasgow, she told the New York Times: 'It's time for us to re-examine our first-world and global governments, to re-examine their priorities about what is possible, and really try to push them on the boundaries of that.'

She later spoke at an event about how climate change affects women and gender equality. 

Ms Ocasio -Cortez has rarely been out of the limelight since being elected to Congress in 2018, and made international headlines in September when she appeared at the Met Gala - arguably the most elitist event in American celebrity culture - in a borrowed dress emblazoned with the words 'tax the rich'.

She later boasted the stunt had boosted Google searches about the US's 'f****d up tax code', but critics suggested it was yet another example of her unedifying hypocrisy.

Today she attracted throngs of onlookers - despite not everyone in her audience not quite knowing who she is. 'Even in Glasgow, @AOC draws crowds, including some folks unsure exactly why they are trying to snap pics of her,' Bloomberg reported from the event.

''It is AOC,' explains one person to another puzzled onlooker. 'She is a member of the House in America who is quite famous.'' 

The politician – known as AOC by friends and foes alike - made her latest contribution to America's culture wars this week by suggesting that the Democrats' so-called 'woke problem' was 'made up' to try and push the left away from fighting for racial injustice and election reform, which she claims could help them win.

'One dangerous aspect of thinking there's a ''woke problem'' is that Dem chances for re-election or majorities in House, Senate, & WH rely on the racial justice issue of voting rights,' the New York representative tweeted on Sunday evening.

Republicans and moderate Democrats claim that the party's embracing a hard left and going 'woke' contributed to a shock defeat for Joe Biden's party in a governor's race in Virginia last Tuesday.

James Carville, a former campaign adviser to president Bill Clinton, blamed 'stupid wokeness' for the loss, pointing to divisive proposals such as 'defunding' police departments and stripping Abraham Lincoln's name from schools for being a 'white supremacist'.

But AOC claimed the term 'woke' is a way for the Republican Party to launch attacks on the 'progressive' agenda.

'Woke' is a term pundits are now using as a derogatory euphemism for civil rights & justice,' Ms Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

On Tuesday, Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin beat former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor's race in a state President Biden won by 10 points in 2020.

In recent days, Ms Ocasio-Cortez has been locked in a row with a Republican lawmaker, who shared a violent video depicting him killing her on Monday night.

The Democrat, described Arizona congressman Paul Gosar, 62, as a 'neo-Nazi fundraiser' and claimed he would 'face no consequences' because he was backed by Kevin McCarthy, the most senior House Republican.

The disturbing clip shows a sword-wielding character with Gosar's superimposed face using a jetpack to soar onto a rooftop before attacking the young Democrat.

He slashes the New York liberal across the back of the neck, drawing a spray of blood, and then goes on to lunge toward President Biden.

Today Ms Ocasio-Cortez spoke at an event about how climate change affects women and gender equality. 

House speaker Ms Pelosi spoke just hours after the group's arrival. She said they made up the largest collection of Congressional lawmakers to attend an international climate meeting.

'We come here fresh from advancing the most ambitious and consequential climate and clean energy legislation of all time in our country,' the California Democrat said as the room broke out in applause.

Late Friday night, Ms Pelosi secured a compromise after months of gridlock that allowed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal to pass the House, along with a motion to vote on a larger social and climate spending bill next week. 

The American champagne socialist behind THAT 'tax the rich' dress: Here's everything you need to know about AOC – the woman who wants to ban billionaires and Bic razors (and thought Milton Keynes was an economist)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is as famous as she is divisive in the United States, but the congresswoman grabbed headlines around the world in September after attending the Met Gala in a dress emblazoned with the words 'tax the rich.'

As some applauded the Democrat's boldness in making the statement while surrounded by rafts of millionaires, others slammed Ocasio-Cortez, 31, as a hypocrite for attending the swanky event in the first place.

The Bronx-born Democratic Socialist, often referred to by her initials AOC, has gained legions of fans and become a favourite target of Republican ire for promoting a resolutely woke agenda since becoming America's youngest ever congresswoman in 2019.

While it might seem odd to see a politician rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian on the red carpet, AOC has been adept at using her fame and social media savvy to reach voters.

Since being elected, she has appeared as a guest judge on popular competition show RuPaul's Drag Race, graced the cover of American Vogue and filmed a YouTube make-up tutorial for the magazine on how to recreate her signature red lip.

Her message and approach appeal to young, left-wing Americans, including some from immigrant families like AOC herself.

However, her staunchly progressive views are frequently met with criticism by Republicans and, at times, fellow Democrats.

She is known in U.S. politics as a member of 'The Squad' - a group of four, young, racially-diverse women elected to Congress in 2018 who are among the most left-leaning voices in the Democratic Party.

The original members - AOC, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib - were joined by Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush following the 2020 election.

AOC is also notable for her humble beginnings and commitment to grassroots activism, which helped her topple a 10-year incumbent to become the representative for New York's 14th district, and win reelection in 2020.

She was born in 1989 to Sergio Ocasio-Roman, an architect, and Puerto-Rican born Blanca Ocasio-Cortez, who did secretarial and cleaning work.

In 2011, she graduated cum laude from Boston University with a joint degree in international relations and economics and worked as an activist and bartender before running for office.

Here, MailOnline gives a rundown of 30 times AOC has met with controversy during her fledgling career:

1. Bronx born and raised?

The former barmaid and waitress has always been proud of her background and her apparent working class roots in the Bronx.

She was born to Catholic parents Sergio Ocasio-Roman, an architect, and Blanca Ocasio-Cortez, who did secretarial and cleaning work.

The couple both had Puerto Rican backgrounds and AOC has regularly talked about her humble origins, saying in her campaign video: 'Women like me aren't supposed to run for office.

'I wasn't born to a wealthy or powerful family — mother from Puerto Rico, father from the South Bronx.'

But despite making regular references to her Bronx origins, it was later revealed she mostly grew up in the wealthier Westchester County. 

The future socialist star was born in the Bronx but court records show her late father bought a quaint three-bedroom in Yorktown Heights, New York in 1991, when she was about two.

The revelation was an apparent contradiction of her official biography, which states in part: 'The state of Bronx public schools in the late 80s and early 90s sent her parents on a search for a solution. 

'She ended up attending public school 40 minutes north in Yorktown, and much of her life was defined by the 40 minute commute between school and her family in the Bronx.'

Initially, the young family lived in Parkchester, a planned community of 171 mid-rise brick buildings in the Bronx. 

When she was about five, Ocasio-Cortez's family moved to the house in Westchester County, a detail that the bio omits.

Ocasio-Cortez had also boasted on Stephen Colbert's late-night show that President Donald Trump, born in Queens, wouldn't know how to handle 'a girl from the Bronx' such as herself. 

Her father died in 2008, which she said changed the family's fortunes after a lengthy probate battle to settle his estate. 

2. 'Famed economist Milton Keynes'

In 2020, AOC made an awkward blunder when she mixed-up two economists while addressing the benefits of a four-day working week in a video shared on Instagram.

The economics graduate from Boston University was asked by one of her followers to discuss the practicalities of a shorter work week when she misspoke and referred to 'Milton Keynes', a commuter town in Buckinghamshire, England.

Ocasio-Cortez later said she had confused a British economist, John Maynard Keynes, with Milton Friedman, a US economist who won the 1976 Nobel Prize.

John Maynard Keynes - who she intended to refer to - theorised that government spending was linked to economic growth.

He was an advocate for increased government expenditures and lower taxes in order to pull the global economy out of the depression.

Milton Friedman was an American economist who believed in free-market capitalism, and opposed the views of traditional economists like Keynes. 

3. Capitol claims 

On January 6 this year, the Democrat lawmaker was in her office in the Cannon Office Building - which was evacuated but not breached - when rioters stormed the Capitol Building 0.3 miles away. 

She said after the riots: 'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.'

AOC also accused Ted Cruz of almost having her 'murdered', claiming he incited the insurrection, and said she feared being 'raped' by the mob.

Right-wing pundits like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Jack Posobiec also accused the lawmaker of exaggerating her account.

Carlson, on his Fox News show, said: 'The only subject she really cares about – herself.

'There she is again. Defender of the common man, yammering on about the only subject she really cares about - herself.

'Wallowing around in Lake Me like it's interesting to anybody but her. Narcissism on parade.'

'AOC Wasn't in the Capitol Building During Her 'Near Death' Experience,' Posobiec wrote on Twitter, adding in a separate tweet that 'Maps cut through the rhetoric.'

#AOClied trended on Twitter after her initial claims about nearly dying were doubted. 

She also revealed how her fears about being raped by the Capitol protesters were sparked after she was previously the victim of a stalker, which led to her decision not to report being sexually assaulted when she was in her early 20s.

Fighting tears, she said, recalling the insurrection: 'White supremacy and patriarchy are very linked in a lot of ways. 

'There's a lot of sexualising of that violence and I didn't think that I was just going to be killed, I thought other things were going to happen to me as well.' 

CNN's Dana Bash said: 'You didn't only think you were going to die, you thought you were going to be raped?'

'Yeah, I thought I was,' Ocasio-Cortez answered nodding.

4. Billionaires should not exist

The New York congresswoman said last year it is 'wrong' for billionaires to exist in the US and her policy advisor said: 'Every billionaire is a policy failure.'

She has regularly called for huge taxes on the super-wealthy, previously saying in a public meeting in 2019 that a system that allows billionaires is 'immoral'. 

The comments sparked a backlash with Bill Gates, who supports a harsher tax on the super wealthy, saying she is 'so extreme'.

He said: 'I believe US tax rates can be more progressive. Now, you finally have some politicians who are so extreme that I'd say, 'No, that's even beyond.' You start to create tax dodging and disincentives, and an incentive to have the income show up in other countries and things.' 

5. Comparing detention centres to concentration camps

The outspoken politician sparked fury among members of the Jewish community after comparing migrant detention centres to concentration camps.

After visiting detention centres in El Paso, the US Representative for New York tweeted in summer 2019: 'These are concentration camps. According to concentration camp experts, people begin to die due to overcrowding, neglect, and shortage of resources. We saw all three of those signs on our trip yesterday. Another person died yesterday. And those are the deaths we know about.'  

Among the over 11,000 replies to the post, people who identified as Jewish in their Twitter bios responded to AOC with outrage over the comparison, accusing her of disrespecting Holocaust survivors.

Writer Emily Schrader tweeted: 'If you can't make your point without diminishing the memory of the Holocaust you need to re-examine your claim.' 

Joel M. Petlin, who contributes to the Jewish publication The Forward, tweeted in reply to AOC: 'As you quadruple down on the Holocaust references, please know that actual survivors of Nazi Concentration Camps are begging you to stop & instead tour a real one in Poland. I respect your passion to help those at the border but why are you not respecting Holocaust survivors?'

6. Disposable razors 

When asked by a group of schoolchildren in February 2019 what they could do to help combat climate change, AOC offered an interesting response. 

She suggested that teenagers should ditch their disposable razors and instead use safety razors.

Many were left stumped at how simply switching razors will reverse the global effects of climate change when other countries like China are pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

7. Designer socialism

Her Met Gala dress was not the first time AOC has been criticised for her expensive fashion taste despite her left-wing politics.

In December last year, she appeared on a glossy cover of Vanity Fair, wearing an array of high-end clothes, shoes and jewellery.

The congresswoman was photographed in silk suits from Aliette, Loewe, Carolina Herrera, and wore Christian Louboutin heels, all of which come with hefty price tags. 

DailyMail.com revealed that she was gifted at least one of the looks - a $2,850 suit from Loewe. 

The total estimated retail cost of her outfits is more than $14,000. 

It led to criticisms that she was pushing for socialist policies while enjoying all the trappings of wealth and capitalism and flaunting them to voters. 

In one portion of the interview, she said 'dressing the part has been an unexpected struggle, but it's also a way to connect with constituents' while wearing an $800 dress and $1,450 earrings.

After a backlash, she retorted: 'Republicans are Very Mad (again) about my appearance. This time they're mad that I look good in borrowed clothes (again).

'Listen, if Republicans want pointers on looking your best, I'm happy to share. Tip #1: Drink water and don't be racist.' 

8. Unemployment figures

In 2018, AOC claimed: 'Unemployment is low because everyone has two jobs. 

'Unemployment is low because people are working 60, 70, 80 hours a week and can barely feed their family.'

At the time, only six million Americans held two jobs compared to the 148million employed in a single job, making up around four per cent of the workforce.

The proportion of workers doing two jobs was actually lower at the time than throughout most of the 1990s and 2000s.

On average, employees were working 34.5 hours a week with only a tiny portion of the population holding two full time jobs.

Even if many people were holding multiple jobs, it would not affect the employment rate as that is calculated by the number of people employed rather than the number of jobs they hold.

9. ICE beds

AOC has regularly made her feelings known about ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement body while immigrants were being separated from their families at the Mexican border.

She claimed in 2018: 'ICE is the only criminal investigative agency, the only

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