AOC hits out at 'mother******* only paying $750 a year in taxes' in apparent reference to Trump

In Vanity Fair interview, New York congresswoman discusses heavily scrutinised first term, political ambitions and critical 2020 elections

In an interview with Vanity Fair previewing her likely next term in office, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned Donald Trump's alleged tax maneuvers and revelations in The New York Times that he had only paid $750 in federal income taxes.

“These are the same people saying that we can’t have tuition-free public colleges because there’s no money ... when these motherfuckers are only paying $750 a year in taxes," she said.

Vanity Fair’s cover story chronicles the congresswoman’s history-making first term ahead of her likely re-election following her 2018 victory against longtime Democratic lawmaker Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th congressional district, as well as her endurance through racist and misogynistic attacks and death threats, and emergence as a likely successor to lead a progressive coalition championed by Bernie Sanders.

She told the magazine that she would “wake up in the morning and literally get a stack of pictures that were forwarded by Capitol police or FBI. Like, ‘These are the people who want to kill you today.'”

The congresswoman – who along with freshman progressive lawmakers Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar became “the squad” – has repeatedly been targeted by the president at his rallies and on social media.

“There was a time where the volume of threats had gotten so high that I didn’t even know if I was going to live to my next term," Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said. "Their sisterhood and their friendship, it’s not some political alliance. It’s a very deep, unconditional human bond.”

Ahead of 2020 elections, in which the congresswoman has given her coveted endorsements to progressive candidates in several races across the US, she said that the election between the incumbent and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden will be a “decision between two countries.”

In the event of a Trump victory, she said that of her district, which encompasses parts of The Bronx and Queens, “I cannot honestly look them in the eye and tell them that they will be safe.”

As political analysts speculate whether the congresswoman will pursue ambitions beyond the House, she told Vanity Fair: "I don’t know if I’m really going to be staying in the House forever, or if I do stay in the House, what that would look like.”

“I truly make an assessment to see if I can be more effective,” she said. “And so, you know, I don’t know if I could necessarily be more effective in an administration, but, for me that’s always what the question comes down to."