MY FIRST GUEST MADE HISTORY THIS FALL AS THE YOUNGEST WOMAN EVER
ELECTED TO THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," NOW CONGRESSWOMAN
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> OH, MY GOSH!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: PLEASE, PLEASE --
I'LL SIT DOWN HERE, TOO.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) OH, MY GOSH!
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> Stephen: WE LOVED HAVING YOU HERE LAST TIME.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
GLAD YOU'RE BACK IN.
>> NO MUST BE NICE TO BE BACK IN A CITY THAT UNDERSTANDS YOU.
>> IT'S REALLY NICE TO BE BACK ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS.
SINCE THE LAST TIME WE SAW YOU, OBVIOUSLY, YOU WERE ELECTED.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I HAVE A COUPLE OF PHOTOGRAPHS.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S DAY ONE LIKE WHEN YOU GO TO CONGRESS?
I HAVE A PHOTO OF YOU BEING SWORN IN RIGHT THERE.
>> YES, YES, YES.
>> Stephen: THERE YOU ARE WITH THE NOW SPEAKER AGAIN RIGHT
THERE.
AND WHO IS THIS YOUNG WOMAN RIGHT HERE?
>> THAT'S MY MOTHER.
>> Stephen: OH, HOW LOVELY.
YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOUR MOM GOT TO HOLD THE BIBLE?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: SO NICE.
IT WAS GREAT.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND SOTOMAYOR WAS A BIT OF AN
INSPIRATION FOR YOU.
>> YES, I THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO WEAR BECAUSE I KNEW
MY KNEELS WERE WATCHING, AND I WANTED THEM TO KIND OF BE ABLE
TO INT V AN IMAGE IN THEIR MIND, AND, SO, I WORE WHITE FOR THE
SUFFRAGETTES.
AND WHEN SONIA SOTOMAYOR WAS HAVING HER CONFIRMATION
HEARINGS, THE CONSULTANTS TOLL HER TO WEAR A NUDE NAIL POLISH
BECAUSE WEARING A BRIGHT COLOR WOULD ATTRACT MORE SCRUTINY.
SO SHE WORE BRIGHT RED NAILS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) AND I FIGURED, WHY NOT?
YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ANOTHER GREAT TRADITION.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I THINK IT WAS
AFTER YOUR FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE THERE, YOU INSTAGRAMED THIS.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
>> SO IT WAS A REALLY BUSY DAY, AND I GOT HOME SUPER LATE AND I
JUST WANTED TO EAT ICE CREAM AND MAYBE SKIP DINNER.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: AND YOU WERE ASKED
ONLINE WHAT FLAVOR ICE CREAM YOU WERE EATING THERE.
>> IT WAS AMERICOAN DREAM.
IT WAS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THERE YOU GO.
YOU FOUND IT OUT, TOO.
>> Stephen: CHEERS.
PLINK!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I WANT TO WARN THE ACEAFFILIATES
WHO MIGHT BE GOING LONG, YOU GET ELECTED, YOU GO IN THERE, YOUR
FIRST DAY IN CONGRESS, THE GOVERNMENT IS SHUT DOWN.
WHAT THE -- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT LIKE?
>> I MEAN, BASICALLY -- ( LAUGHTER )
-- IT'S, LIKE -- WELL, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THERE ARE A LOT OF
THINGS WE CAN'T DO AS FRESHMAN MEMBERS.
AROUND 100 NEW MEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES THAT ARE COMING TO
CONGRESS AND WE CAN'T PROPERLY SET UP OUR DISTRICT OFFICES, WE
CAN'T GET LAPTOPS DELIVERED, WE CAN'T START DOING THE WORK WE'RE
ELECTED TO DO.
>> Stephen: IT TAKES THE GREEN STUFF.
>> YEAH, AND THOSE WORKERS ARE FURLOUGHED.
SO THE DOWN SIDE IS THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO GET TO WORK AS MUCH
AS WE WANT TO IN THE BEGINNING, BUT THE BRIGHT SIDE IS IT GIVES
US A LOT MORE FREE TIME TO MAKE TROUBLE.
( LAUGHTER ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
YEAH.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, IDLE HANDS ARE
THE DEVIL'S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.
( LAUGHTER ) >> THAT IS RIGHT.
THAT IS CORRECT.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
AND I SAID WE COULDN'T DO THIS SO WE HAD TO FIND THE
PERSON RESPONSIBLE.
SO CONGRESSWOMAN KATY HILL HAD CO-WRITTEN A LETTER WITH SUSAN
LEE AND WE SAID WE NEED TO GIVE IT TO MITCH McCONNELL AND LET
HIM CALL THE VOTE.
WE KNOW WE HAVE ENOUGH VOTES TO OPEN THE GOVERNMENT.
IT'S DONALD TRUMP AND MITCH McCONNELL VERSUS THE REST OF
THE WORLD.
SO WE'RE, LIKE, WE'RE GOING TO FIND HIM.
SO WE WENT TO HIS CAPITOL HILL OFFICE, HIS SENATE MAJORITY
LEADER OFFICE, HE WASN'T THERE.
THEN WE SAID, WELL, LET'S GO EVERYWHERE HE COULD POSSIBLY BE.
SO WE WENT TO THE CLOAK ROOM, WHICH IS KIND OF LIKE A SNACK
ROOM FOR THE REPUBLICANS.
( LAUGHTER ) WE WENT TO THE SENATE FLOOR, AND
SENATOR JEFF MERKLY SUBMITTED OUR LETTER TO THE FLOOR.
SOME OF THE INCUMBENTS SAY THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THEY REMEMBER
HOUSE MEMBERS GOING TO THE SENATE FLOOR SINCE ABOUT 1992
FOR THE ANITA HILL HEARINGS IS THE LAST TIME SOME RECALL THAT
HAPPENING.
WE WENT TO THE CONSTITUENT OFFICE IN THE RUSSELL BUILDING,
WE TOOK THE TRAIN THEY HAD.
>> Stephen: THERE'S A LITTLE TRAIN UNDERNEATH THE CAPITOL.
>> EXACTLY.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED THE HASHTAG #WHERE'S MITCH, BECAUSE
WHERE IS HE?
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: DID YOU GO TO THE
SENATE FLOOR AND YELL OLLIE OLLIE OXEN FREE?
>> THAT'S MY PLAN WHEN I GO BACK.
>> Stephen: SO YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED A MEDIA VIRTUOSO.
PEOPLE COMPARED TO THE OTHER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, CERTAINLY
SOME OF THEM.
AS I WAS SAYING, YOU HAD A LITTLE LESSON TO TEACH OTHER
MEMBERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO CATCH THEM UP ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
WHAT WERE THE LESS SUBPOENAS LIKE?
WAS IT LIKE THE POWER BUTTON IS THE THING TO --
( LAUGHTER ) WHAT WERE YOU TEACHING THEM?
>> I GIVE THEM MORE OF MY GENERAL THEORY AND APPROACH TO
SOCIAL MEDIA.
I SAID, YOU KNOW, RULE NUMBER ONE IS TO BE AUTHENTIC, TO BE
YOURSELF AND DON'T TRY TO BE ANYONE THAT YOU'RE NOT.
SO DON'T TRY TO TALK LIKE A YOUNG KID IF YOU'RE NOT A YOUNG
KID.
DON'T POST A MEME IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A MEME IS, IS
LITERALLY MY ADVICE, AND I SAID DON'T TALK LIKE THE FOUNDING
FATHERS ON TWITTER.
IF YOU'RE A MOM WHO LIKES TO GARDEN, TALK LIKE THAT, AND
THAT'S ALL YOU'VE GOT TO DO.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE HAD A GOOD RECORD OF RESPONDING TO PEOPLE
WHO ARE CRITICIZING YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHO YOU GO GIVE THE BUSINESS TO?
BECAUSE NO FREE RIDES.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: SOME PEOPLE MIGHT BE COMING AFTER YOU FOR THE
ATTENTION.
>> I THINK IT'S AN OVERLAP OF A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT FACTORS.
ONE, IS IT A NOTABLE PERSON?
USUALLY ARE THEY VERIFIED?
BECAUSE I JUST DON'T WANT TO GO AFTER SOME INNOCENT BYSTANDER
HERE.
>> Stephen: SURE.
BUT I THINK IF YOU'RE VERIFIED ON THE PLATFORM, IF YOU
HAVE A BLUE CHECK, YOU'RE KIND OF SIGNING UP TO BE PART OF THE
PUBLIC DISCOURSE.
IF YOU HAVE A BLUE CHECK, IF YOU'RE IN MY MENTIONS, IF YOU'RE
BEING SASSY IN A WAY THAT I THINK IS UNJUSTIFIED, AND IF I
HAVEN'T EATEN IN TWO TO THREE HOURS, IT'S LIKE THAT
COMBINATION IS -- >> Stephen: SO THE LESS YOU
EAT, THE FIERCER YOU ARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
>> OH, FOR SURE, FOR SURE, EXACTLY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: CUT OFF.
( LAUGHTER ) WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF
A BREAK RIGHT NOW, BUT IF YOU CAN STICK AROUND, YO I WANT TO T
TO YOU ABOUT YOUR IDEA TO TAX RICH GUYS LIKE ME.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK, CONGRESSWOMAN ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )