Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defends saying that 'in any other country' she and Joe Biden 'would not be in the same party'

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended a statement she made in a profile for New York magazine published on Monday in which she said that she and former Vice President Joe Biden would not be in the same party if they lived elsewhere in the world.
• When asked about her role might be as a member of Congress during a Joe Biden presidency, she responded with a groan, according to the New York magazine piece.
• "Oh God, in any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party, but in America, we are," she said.
• She later explained her statement on Twitter, saying that in another country with a multiparty system, she would be "in a Labor Party like Jacinda Ardern."
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York defended a statement she made about former Vice President Joe Biden in a profile for New York magazine that was published on Monday: She said that elsewhere in the world she and Biden would not be in the same political party.

During her wide-ranging interview, Ocasio-Cortez discussed her experience as the as the youngest woman elected to the House of Representatives, as well as her critiques of the progressive movement and the Democratic party.

"Democrats can be too big of a tent," she said.

When asked about her role might be as a member of Congress if Biden were elected president, she responded with a groan: "Oh God, in any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party, but in America, we are."

She also referred to moderate Democrats as "the tea party of the left," and said that criticism of the Democratic Party was necessary and valid.

"We're not allowed to talk about anything wrong the Democratic Party does," she added. "I think I have created more room for dissent, and we're learning to stretch our wings a little bit on the left."

Ocasio-Cortez defended her comments on Twitter saying she would identify differently in a country with a multiparty system.

"Yeah, I don't know why people are up in arms about this," she wrote. "Many other countries have multiparty democracies, where several parties come together in a coalition to govern. In another country, I'd be in a Labor Party like Jacinda Ardern. Our primary field would cover 2-3 parties."

Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed Biden's 2020 challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders for president and ran for office on a progressive platform.

During an interview with Axios in December, Biden said that Ocasio-Cortez's politics are far to the left of the Democratic Party's average voter.

He added that reports that the Democratic Party "moved extremely to the left" following Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss were false.

"You all thought that what happened was the party moved extremely to the left after Hillary," Biden said. "AOC was a new party. She's a bright, wonderful person. But where's the party? Come on, man."