Peggy Noonan, once President Ronald Regan’s primary speechwriter and now a Wall Street Journal columnist, was cited by multiple morning shows Wednesday as an expert on the State of the Union whose opinion of President Donald Trump’s speech was notable and sought after.
Noonan, however, felt compelled to shift her professional focus from the speech itself to the object of Republicans’ constant fascination and ire: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
And good natured with the white jackets, who I see some on twitter are calling the straight jackets. AOC had a rare bad night, looking not spirited, warm and original as usual but sullen, teenaged and at a loss. 2.
— Peggy Noonan (@Peggynoonannyc) February 6, 2019
It is unclear how Noonan would judge a “bad night” for the congresswoman, as she sat in the audience during the speech, amid a sea of her white-clad peers, and did not have a speaking role.
Ocasio-Cortez quickly shot back:
Why should I be “spirited and warm” for this embarrassment of a #SOTU?
Tonight was an unsettling night for our country. The president failed to offer any plan, any vision at all, for our future.
We’re flying without a pilot. And I‘m not here to comfort anyone about that fact. https://t.co/7bu3QXFMnC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 6, 2019