Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has stated that the American Revolution was a class war against billionaires during her recent appearance at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics alongside Democratic strategist David Axelrod.

“The American Revolution was against the billionaires of their time,” she said, arguing that the Founders were not rebelling against an unaccountable distant government but rather wealthy individuals.

Critics have highlighted that the colonists revolted specifically against British Crown and Parliament, whose chief grievance was taxation without representation. They also noted that many Founders—including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson—were among the wealthiest men in colonial America at the time.

Ocasio-Cortez further outlined a broader economic vision during her remarks, describing how modern tax systems can perpetuate oligarchic structures. She has previously argued that billionaire wealth is often built on labor exploitation and rule-breaking while advocating for policies such as single-payer health care, living wages, workers’ rights, and women’s rights.