"Do you believe President Trump is a racist?" Cooper asked haltingly during a "60 Minutes" interview with the 29-year-old congresswoman that aired Sunday.
The exchange has since gone viral with many praising Ocasio-Cortez for yet another moment of uninhibited candor while others were quick to criticize Cooper's questions, specifically drawing attention to when he asked the young congresswoman about how she can say the president is a racist.
In response to Ocasio-Cortez, the White House told "60 Minutes" that the congresswoman's "sheer ignorance on the matter can't cover the fact that President Trump supported and passed historic criminal justice reform," adding that Trump has also "repeatedly condemned racism and bigotry in all forms.