Image Credit: Andrew Harnik / Staff / Getty 
Former college swimmer Riley Gaines challenged Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to a debate on Monday in response to the politician mocking her for losing a race to biological male Lia Thomas.
Technically, Gaines and Thomas tied for fifth-place during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship, but Thomas was handed the fifth-place trophy and posed for photos with the award while Gaines had to wait for a sixth-place trophy in the mail.
The feud began when Gaines on Sunday posted an image of AOC, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (D), and New York City Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani standing before a large Big Apple audience and captioned the photo, “We’re being destroyed from within.”
AOC replied, “Maybe if you channeled all this anger into swimming faster you wouldn’t have come in fifth.”
Next, Gaines clapped back, “It’s *always* ‘we support women’s rights!’ until it’s a woman who wants the right to compete & undress free from less than mediocre men. Keep your mentally ill men out of our sports, locker rooms, prisons, etc.”
Gaines also highlighted the irony that the left is mocking her for being the 5th-fastest woman in the nation while ignoring the fact that Thomas was 462nd in the men’s division and had to race girls just to finish in the top ten.
Gaines later went on Fox News and challenged AOC to a debate, saying, “She can defend socialism, I will defend capitalism. She can removing God, I will defend embracing a biblical worldview. She can defend child sacrifice, I will defend the sanctity of life. Any of the radical, insane Democratic policies and platform that they stand for, I will debate the opposite.”
Trying her best to appear funny, AOC responded to the interview by writing, “And I would like to challenge this person to get a real job.”
“This is comical given it’s coming from someone whose own party shut down the government and left you technically…jobless,” Gaines answered. “And I guess I’ll take that as a no (which is to be expected when your positions are indefensible on virtually every issue).”
This is comical given it's coming from someone whose own party shut down the government and left you technically…jobless.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) October 28, 2025
And I guess I’ll take that as a no (which is to be expected when your positions are indefensible on virtually every issue)
The swimmer also noted, “I have a real job. I’m a mom. It’s the most important & rewarding job in the world. I think if you had a baby girl like I do, you’d understand my positions a little better.”
Liberal YouTuber Jack Cocchiarella joined in on mocking Gaines, saying she’d “just come in 5th again” if she debated AOC, with other Democrats also cheering on the congresswoman.
Meanwhile, conservatives defended Gaines by pointing out AOC is a childless pro-abortion activist who was a bartender before running for office.
Riley Gaines is an NCAA All-American & a mother.
— Valentina Gomez (@ValentinaForUSA) October 27, 2025
You’re an expired mediocre bartender with 0 children that likes to murder babies.
Silence woman.
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