Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has drawn criticism from conservatives who accuse her of attempting to disavow past progressive policies she once championed. The remarks came during an interview on ABC's "This Week" where Ocasio-Cortez referred to the "first wave of 'woke'" as "crazy."

Conservatives have voiced skepticism about her comments, suggesting it is an attempt to distance herself from policies that they argue proved unpopular with the American public. "You don't get to spend years pushing to fundamentally transform the country, divide it on racial lines, inject DEI into every institution, and then try to brush it off as a minor misunderstanding when your worldview turns out to be extremely unpopular with the American people," Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, stated on X.

Ocasio-Cortez, an early member of the progressive "Squad," made the comment when pressed by host Jonathan Karl about statements from other socialist candidates. She responded, "I have a local city councilman that has this saying, 'Woke 1 was crazy.' And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now."

Critics, including commentator Steve Guest, have asserted that Ocasio-Cortez was a leading figure in promoting these policies. Others pointed to past social media posts, such as one in 2021 where she stated, "Not just women! Trans men & non-binary people can also menstruate," as examples of the types of stances she is now seemingly distancing herself from.

Clay Travis, founder of Outkick, suggested that Ocasio-Cortez's remarks indicate a potential shift in strategy ahead of a possible 2028 presidential bid. "AOC is going to run for president in 2028. Now she’s saying Democrat policies in 2020 era — woke 1 she calls it — were all crazy," Travis said. "Many of us remember being ripped for opposing all these insane policies. Now Dems want to pretend that era never happened."

Speculation about a potential presidential run for the four-term congresswoman has circulated, though she has not directly addressed these rumors. Political observers suggest that if she were to pursue the presidency, she might need to move closer to the center of the Democratic Party to secure support from the Democratic National Committee and the broader establishment.

Commentators like Christian Heiens expressed doubt that Democrats can simply dismiss past progressive policies without acknowledging their impact. "Does calling Woke 1 crazy mean you now oppose any of the ideological positions that Wokeism demanded of you? Of course not. They haven't changed their minds about anything," Heiens stated. "These things have come to define the Left at this point. No Democrat can oppose them without losing their primary."

Some critics, such as political centrist Josh Barro, have called for a more detailed explanation of what specific aspects of "Woke 1" Democrats now oppose and what lessons have been learned.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.