Insiders in President Donald Trump's White House are cringing at the latest conservative attack on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
According to a report from Marc Caputo at Axios, there was a groundswell of sneering aimed at the popular New York lawmaker who admitted she plans to freeze some of her eggs, should she want children at a later date.
Ocasio-Cortez announced her decision on Instagram, preemptively acknowledging the reaction she expected. "Don't be weird about this, even though I know all of you will be," she wrote, with Axios suggesting her statement sparked speculation about potential political ambitions, including a possible White House bid in 2028.
Conservative gadflyMatt Walsh went low on social media and ranted, "She'll turn 37 in a couple months. If she got pregnant now, it would technically be a geriatric pregnancy. This desire to start having children late in life is completely baffling to me."
The criticism prompted pushback from within conservative circles where there has been an emphasis on women having more children under the Trump administration.
Alexa Henning, a MAGA consultant who recently departed the State Department, countered the messaging with, "Conservative men dunking on AOC for freezing her eggs is not a winning message with women voters."
She then lectured, "I have many conservative friends who, because they decided to put careers first, froze their eggs and had babies and families later in life. That should be celebrated."
Trump administration officials recognize the political liability the controversy presents, Caputo is reporting. At the White House, where the president has previously championed in-vitro fertilization, officials are distancing themselves from Walsh's criticism.
"We most certainly want to encourage more women and families to have children, period," a senior White House official told Axios. "That's a diplomatic way of saying, 'Yes, the Matt Walsh messaging is not helpful.'"
A Trump adviser also acknowledged the strategic problem by stating "This isn't really a winner for Republicans," with midterm elections less than three months away.
Republican pollster Adam Geller advised the party to ignore the issue entirely.
"AOC knows how to get attention. She knows how to stand out. This should be treated as a stunt. And my advice to Republicans is, don't take the bait," Geller said.