Byron Donalds responds to AOC’s ‘experience’ jab: ‘She doesn’t know what she’s talking about’

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., clapped back at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., comments she made Sunday with MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan. 

‘Before I got to Congress, I spent 20 years in the financial industry, something that leadership here on Capitol Hill definitely needs,’ Donalds said on Fox’s ‘The Story’ with Martha MacCallum on Monday. 

‘Number two, I spent four years in the legislature in Florida. I chair two committees there, and number three, since being here on Capitol Hill, I’ve worked intimately with members of our leadership team and members all through the conference, both appropriators and authorizers to get some of our biggest pieces of legislation accomplished this Congress,’ he said. 

CHAOTIC, CONVOLUTED PATH HOUSE REPUBLICANS TOOK TO ELECT SPEAKER LEADS BACK TO SQUARE ONE 

He added, ‘So, with all due respect to miss Ocasio-Cortez, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. And if the Democrats are this concerned, I would tell my colleagues see what happens if I become your speaker.’

Ocasio-Cortez jabbed the Republican rep on Sunday, arguing that ‘he’s only served one term’ in the House and submitted ‘false evidence’ during a Biden impeachment hearing. 

‘I think it helps to know where all the bathrooms are before you run for the U.S. House of Representatives, personally, and I think it helps to have some real experience in one of most complex legislative bodies in the world before you try to run it,’ Ocasio-Cortez said. 

Her reference to falsified evidence in the impeachment hearing involved a screenshot of text messages between Hunter Biden and President Biden’s brother, James Biden, to further his argument that the president directly benefitted from his family’s foreign business dealings. 

There are now nine candidates officially in the running to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., but as the GOP caucus mulls its decision, there remain questions about how long the debate will rage, and if that means the party could lose voters in 2024.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio failed to garner enough votes during his third round of floor-wide votes on Friday, sending party members back to the drawing board in an effort to end a stalemate. Twenty-five Republicans voted against him, leaving him roughly 217 votes short of securing a win. The slim GOP majority and unified Democrat opposition gives any speaker candidate little wiggle room for naysayers within his or her own party.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., currently serving as interim speaker, announced last week that Republicans will convene for another forum on the speakership race on Monday, with a probable floor vote scheduled for Tuesday. The competition remains shrouded in uncertainty as candidates vie to establish themselves as the most formidable contender, capable of garnering the necessary support to clinch the speakership.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.