Hypocrisy of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘Tax the Rich’ Met Gala Dress Exposed

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s dress at the Met Gala has sparked an uproar. The white dress read “Tax the Rich” in bright red, and the hypocrisy was not lost on some.

The Met Gala is one of the most exclusive charity events in the world, with celebrities and socialites frequently attending. A single ticket can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000. It is an event where the rich go to flaunt their wealth. AOC wearing a “tax the rich” dress to the Gala is, as GOP political consultant Anthony Angelini, put it, “akin to wearing a fur coat to a PETA meeting.”

AOC appears to have been prepared for the backlash with a well-timed post .

And before haters get wild flying off the handle, New York elected officials are routinely invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing and supporting the city’s cultural institutions for the public. I was one of several in attendance in this evening.🤗

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 14, 2021

However, it has been reported that Vogue, who organizes the event, did not give AOC a free ticket. The situation raises real questions over who funded AOC’s Met Gala trip. AOC likely expected the cries of hypocrisy, especially from conservatives, but has placed her supporters in an uncomfortable position, as well.

Professor David Woodard, of Clemson University, issued a warning for AOC. “I think a lot of Ocasio-Cortez supporters are going to be critical of her and they should be critical of her…. She doesn't care if the conservatives are critical of her, but I think her own people are now put in a very embarrassing position.”

The most tone-deaf or hypocritical aspect of AOC’s attendance at the Met Gala has nothing to do with social media or politics, but rather section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or charitable contribution deductions.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the benefactor of the Met Gala and donations made to it are tax-deductible. In many respects, the attendees of the event are going for free. They make millions of dollars a year and can simply deduct the $50,000 from their taxes.

The donations go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but it represents a serious loss of tax revenue that the state could use to help those in more need, and runs counter to everything AOC supposedly stands for. If AOC was committed to her vision of the United States, she would have pointed out the hypocrisy of the Met Gala. By attending, she only made a hypocrite out of herself.