Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Sunday downplayed controversial past statements made by herself and other socialist politicians, referring to the period as the "Woke 1" era. She suggested that such rhetoric should be assessed based on when it was made.

During an appearance on ABC's "This Week," Ocasio-Cortez was asked about remarks by Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, which included calls to cancel Thanksgiving and abolish prisons. Hong has since sought to distance herself from some of these past views.

"I have a local city councilman that has this saying, 'Woke 1 was crazy,'" Ocasio-Cortez said, laughing. "And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now."

When pressed by host Jon Karl about whether the socialist movement had gone "too far," referencing Ocasio-Cortez's past support for defunding the police, the congresswoman clarified that many such comments occurred during the COVID-19 shutdowns when society was more open to exploring new ideas.

"I think that the doors were really open in trying to entertain any and every policy that was going to get us to a better place," she stated. "And I actually think that the discussions that were had in that time were quite fruitful."

Ocasio-Cortez emphasized that discussions around crime have evolved since the pandemic. "I think that when we talk about crime today, it’s fundamentally different than the way that we talked about crime in bringing crime down, right? And I think that we all share the goals of having as low a crime rate as possible. I think that during lockdown, of course, rhetoric in that time is not rhetoric that we would use today. And I’m grateful that these candidates have the opportunity to present who they are to their electorate, and what they’re campaigning on in this moment."

Regarding the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), whose national platform includes abolishing the police, Ocasio-Cortez noted that she is a member of the New York City chapter and does not align with all national positions.

In recent years, the DSA has experienced internal divisions regarding Ocasio-Cortez. The organization withdrew its endorsement for her 2024 re-election campaign, citing unmet conditions such as opposing all funding to Israel. The DSA was also reportedly split on offering an early endorsement for Ocasio-Cortez's potential 2028 presidential bid.