Broadcast journalist Cari Champion has come to the defense of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after the New York Democrat faced criticism for her response to a question at the Munich Security Conference.
During a NewsNight panel discussion, contributors debated Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks on whether the United States should assist Taiwan if China were to invade. Critics included Republicans and even some Democrats. When asked, Ocasio-Cortez said:
"This is, of course, a very long-standing policy of the United States, and I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise."
Canadian businessman and Trump ally Kevin O’Leary dismissed her response as “terrible.” Champion, however, defended the congresswoman, highlighting that Ocasio-Cortez was thoughtfully taking a moment before answering a step she contrasted with how former President Donald Trump often responds. Champion said:
"The reality is, Kevin, she was taking a beat. Yes, she wasn’t perfect for less than 20 seconds, but I thought she was doing something that the President of the United States rarely does: thinking before she speaks."
O’Leary fired back, claiming he didn’t recall Trump ever stumbling for 38 seconds. Champion replied, “She was trying to get her words together so she could handle it appropriately. And if more people did that, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
The exchange quickly went viral on social media, with many siding with Champion. One commenter wrote, “She paused for 20 seconds’ is the new scandal, meanwhile the bar for presidential communication is somewhere in the Earth's core. Thinking before speaking shouldn’t feel like a plot twist, yet here we are.” Another added, “A brief stumble while choosing your words beats blurting out whatever pops into your head. Thoughtfulness shouldn’t be a liability.”
Vice President JD Vance also criticized Ocasio-Cortez, calling her response “embarrassing” in an interview with Fox News. He suggested she needed to educate herself on the China-Taiwan issue and questioned whether she had serious ideas on foreign policy, adding:
"Does anybody really believe that AOC has any thoughtful ideas about the global world order or what the United States should do in Asia or Europe? This is a person who is mouthing slogans that somebody else gave her."
Despite the backlash, many observers praised Ocasio-Cortez for taking a considered approach under the pressure of an international stage, with journalists like Champion emphasizing that pausing to think is a strength, not a weakness.
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