“Thank you all for the birthday wishes!” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Any advice for one’s 30s? It’s been a pandemic almost the whole time so far, so belated advice appreciated.”
The congresswoman’s followers quickly obliged, responding with tweets that offered both lighthearted or joking advice and serious suggestions about life or her political future.
“Never, and I mean NEVER go cheap on cheese, TP, or tires,” Twitter user @cougartim tweeted. “Other than that, you’re hella smarter than me.”
“Sleep more and lay off the dairy,” tweeted teacher and author José Vilson.
“Travel. See the world,” @MeLynnGerDan tweeted. “Spend your time w/ those you appreciate most. Pay attention to your health now or you’ll feel like crap. Everything changes in your 30’s. Random food allergies pop up, back issues creep in, your metabolism changes… Do yoga daily & eat lots of protein.”
“I felt old when I turned 30, now that I’m 40 I feel even older but I realize now that I wasn’t quite as old as I thought I was looking back,” tweeted DJ and record producer Kill the Noise.
“The thirties are busy and productive years, so it’s important to stay focused on what matters—and when you drift, come back to what matters,” lawyer and former Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub tweeted.
“Happy Birthday!” tweeted activist Sema Hernandez, a former Democratic Senate candidate in Texas. “Enjoy your 30’s, don’t compromise your values (especially when you don’t have to), admit when your wrong, learn from your mistakes and teach the youth what you’ve learned so far. Remember we have a limited time to address the climate crisis, so act accordingly.”
“Stay in shape and healthy,” tweeted James Thompson, a former Democratic candidate for Congress in Kansas. “The older you get the harder it is to recover. Same theory for hangovers.”
“Eat fiber. Sleep becomes your friend. Stretch. Start filtering out toxic people,” columnist Wajahat Ali tweeted. “Learn to enjoy the mileage and all the warts and scars, each tell a story. Also, realize there is a good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Finally enjoy life.”
“Nearing the end of my 30s, I’d say: eyesight gets worse but foresight gets better, trust the latter over the former,” lawyer Max Kennerly tweeted.
Multiple responses urged Ocasio-Cortez to launch an early campaign for president. Although she is currently too young to become president, Ocasio-Cortez will technically be eligible for nation’s highest office by the next election, reaching the minimum age of 35 in 2024.
The political ambitions of Ocasio-Cortez are unclear. She has given no indication that she intends to run for president in 2024 or beyond. Ocasio-Cortez has also played down speculation that she could mount a challenge to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), although she did not rule it out during a CNN interview in August.
Newsweek reached out to the office of Ocasio-Cortez for comment.
