Co-host of "Shark Tank" Kevin O'Leary, also known as Mr. Wonderful, is holding nothing back when it comes to his candid remarks about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). O'Leary appeared on OutKick's "Maintaining With Tyrus" in an episode set to air on Sunday. Townhall received a sneak peek of part of the episode.
As Mr. Wonderful discussed AOC with host Tyrus, he pointed to "what an incredible, incredibly successful politician she is," though he also added, "What a horrific manager she is."
O'Leary further discussed AOC in terms of her district, New York's 14th. "Her jurisdiction looks like a Third World country, and yet she's great at social media and making outrageous statements and getting $5 at a time on, you know, every way she can on social. Good for her. But wow, look what she did when Amazon came knocking for $10,000," he said.
Not long after AOC was first elected in 2018, the Squad member vocally protested Amazon's plans for building a headquarters in Queens. In February 2019, however, the company decided not to do so, to the chagrin of then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), then-Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), and then-Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), though AOC gleefully celebrated.
Tyrus agreed that the Amazon debacle was a big deal, saying, "That blew my mind," as he wanted to know, "How do you survive?"
O'Leary was equally perplexed. "So, so why would you want to reward that?! Why wouldn't you say, 'Excuse me, could I get better management, please? I live here! I pay taxes here, and I'd like a job! And I don't think you're doing a good job for me as a manager! How about I hire somebody else,'" he wondered. "That's what I would encourage."
"Not that she isn't just great as a politician," O'Leary continued on about the congresswoman. "There are countries that have weak leaders. There are states that have bad governors. I think people, the great thing about democracy is, say, 'We can do better, putting up my head, let's do better.'"
Another argument in favor of new leadership is how "abandoned" AOC's constituents say they feel.
Tyrus confirmed with O'Leary, "It's not personal, it's just business," with O'Leary sticking to that even as Tyrus pointed out "everything is personal now," as he argued it's "not for me." Even as they went back and forth on whether it was personal or not, Tyrus and O'Leary still agreed that "nothing" he said about her was not true.
O'Leary again emphasized how "she's a great politician, let's celebrate that," but added, "Is she a bad manager? One hundred percent, she's terrible! They're both true."
As Tyrus tried to discuss AOC as a business, asking if Mr. Wonderful would "pass" on "Shark Tank," O'Leary, with laughter made clear, "I wouldn't let her manage a candy store," prompting a "wow" from Tyrus.
Last month, Wall Street veteran Marty Dolan launched his primary challenge against AOC. The congresswoman herself came into power when she defeated then-Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in the June 2018 primary by over 13 points.
O'Leary has had harsh words for Democratic-controlled states on business before. As Madeline covered earlier this year, he said on an episode of "Unmuted With Marsha," "I'm not trying to get involved in the partisanship of this statement. Just a fact, I don't invest in New York, I don't invest in Massachusetts, I don't invest in California. In my mind, those are examples of states that are uninvestable because of bad policy." He also criticized New York Attorney General Letitia James' civil case against former and potentially future President Donald Trump, as Matt highlighted.
The full episode of "Maintaining With Tyrus" will air on Sunday at 9 am on OutKick.com.
Kevin O'Leary: AOC's "jurisdiction looks like a third-world-country...I wouldn't let her manage a candy store!"@Outkick @PlanetTyrus pic.twitter.com/K5hFAoqWW9
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