Members of 'The Squad' defend each other in clashes with moderate Democrats and the GOP. Here's a timeline of their friendship.

Ocasio-Cortez stopped by a small fundraiser in a Manhattan apartment for Pressley's campaign before either had won their primary races, and the two future congresswomen hit it off.

"You know how there are people who have Instagram relationships? This is not an Instagram relationship," Pressley previously told Insider. "Our relationship is not static, it is not one-dimensional, it is dynamic, it is deep, it is meaningful, it is real, and it grows by the day."

Each member of "the Squad" made history in their own right.

Ocasio-Cortez defeated Joe Crowley, a fourth-ranking House Democrat who was seen as a potential successor to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in a primary upset that attracted media attention from across the country. At age 29, she went on to become the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Pressley became the first Black woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress. Tlaib became the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, and she and Omar became the first Muslim women in Congress.

The photo, which was taken at the Congressional Progressive Caucus orientation in Washington, DC, went viral.

"The Squad" went on to become both a term of endearment used by supporters and a pejorative nickname used by conservatives such as Kellyanne Conway.

Before the Squad members were sworn into Congress, they supported each other as they transitioned into their new roles.

"@RashidaTlaib & I popped out to be there for @AyannaPressley's last day as a Boston City Councilwoman," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, along with a video of herself and Tlaib watching Pressley from the gallery. "It was incredible to see how profoundly she has touched the people of Boston & Dorchester. Ayanna's farewell speech on the needs of girls brought the house down. 100% worth it."

Omar and Tlaib both took the oath of office on a Quran. Tlaib also wore a traditional Palestinian dress called a thobe.

Cohen, who worked as Trump's lawyer for 10 years, called him a "racist," "conman," and "cheat." In his closing remarks, Cohen said his loyalty to Trump cost him "everything."

In 2018, Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine for tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, unlawful excessive campaign contributions, and lying to Congress. As part of the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in federal prisons, Cohen was released from prison last year to serve the rest of his sentence at home.

Pundits praised Ocasio-Cortez's performance in the hearing, including her use of time, efficient questioning, and lack of grandstanding, and the fact that she asked follow-ups to questions raised earlier.

"Knock Down The House" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019 and was acquired by Netflix for $10 million, Deadline reported. The documentary was screened at more film festivals, including South by Southwest in March 2019, before it was released on Netflix that May.

Bush lost her primary election in 2018, but went on to be elected to Congress in 2020.

The progressive lawmakers criticized the House Speaker and other Democrats for accepting a Senate version of a nearly $4.6 billion emergency border aid funding bill.

"All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world," Pelosi told the New York Times in 2019. "But they didn't have any following. They're four people and that's how many votes they got."

Members of the Squad responded to Pelosi's remarks.

"That public 'whatever' is called public sentiment. And wielding the power to shift it is how we actually achieve meaningful change in this country," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on July 6.

Omar retweeted her, adding: "Patetico! You know they're just salty about WHO is wielding the power to shift 'public sentiment' these days, sis. Sorry not sorry."

As he played off the racist "go back home" trope, Trump alluded to the squabbling within the Democratic party, adding: "I'm sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!"

Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Tlaib, and Pressley held a press conference in response to the president's tweets.

"This is a president who has openly violated the very values our country appears to uphold: equality under the law, religious liberty, equal protection, and protection from persecution," Omar said. "And to distract from that, he's launching a blatantly racist attack on four duly elected members of the United States House of Representatives, all of whom are women of color. This is the agenda of white nationalists, whether it is happening in chat rooms, or it is happening on national TV, and now it has reached the White House garden."

Pressley added that the Squad is not an exclusive club.

"We are more than four people," she said. "We ran on a mandate to advocate for and to represent those ignored, left out, and left behind. Our squad is big. Our squad includes any person committed to creating a more equitable and just world."

The NAACP hosted a town hall with all four members of the Squad during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations Annual Legislative Conference.

Moderated by political strategist and CNN political commentator Angela Rye, the town hall covered the 2020 census, voting rights, and the upcoming presidential election.

Video of the two congresswomen dancing was originally posted by Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and retweeted by Omar.

"We couldn't celebrate #breakingconcreteceilings without jamming to my hometown girl @lizzo," Omar wrote of the singer/songwriter/rapper Lizzo, who moved to Minneapolis in 2011. "Even @AyannaPressley loves our home girl!"

Ocasio-Cortez and her partner, Riley Roberts, adopted their French bulldog puppy, whom they named Deco, in January 2020.

Pressley tweeted a photo of herself petting Deco in the halls of the Rayburn House Office Building, captioned: "Making the Capitol better one puppy snuggle at a time: @AOC & Deco."

The Squad members, who all endorsed each other for reelection, created the fund to support their campaigns and leadership PACs.

"Let's be clear: the Squad is much bigger than the four of us," Omar said in a video launching the fund. "It's the activists, the organizers, the candidates, the community builders, the creators, and all of the people who are fighting for equity and justice."

Bush made history as the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress.

All four original Squad members also comfortably won their reelection campaigns.

"Our sisterhood is resilient," Omar tweeted.

"Squad up," Bush captioned the photo on Twitter.

Bowman added, "Our squad is big!"

All four original Squad members also shared the photo on social media.

Ocasio-Cortez recounted her experience during the January 6 Capitol riots on Instagram Live in February.

She said she hid in a bathroom from a man yelling "Where is she?" who turned out to be a Capitol Police officer, though she said he did not identify himself as such. She also said that she ran into Rep. Katie Porter's office as she heard the Capitol's door hinges cracking and the violent mob forcing its way inside, and hid with Porter for five hours.

"Rep. Pressley told me right away, 'What you experienced was traumatizing and you need to take care of yourself,'" Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram Live. "It was like — having her, as a friend and sister, hear what I was saying and tell me that — mentally, it forced me to pump my brakes."

The bill aims to institute a nationwide cancellation of rents and home mortgage payments through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. Omar introduced the bill in April 2020, and reintroduced it in March.