AOC fundraises off Macklemore boycott

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has initiated a fundraising campaign in response to Jewish billionaire Robert Kraft's decision to ban rapper Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium. Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, refused to host Macklemore due to the rapper's accusations of Israeli "genocide" and a "broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery." Ocasio-Cortez criticized Kraft's action in a fundraising email, stating, "This is not just about a single musical act. This is about how a small handful of powerful people, like stadium owners, can threaten someone’s livelihood in order to prevent an entire massive issue from being spoken about—in this case, the genocide in Gaza." She called the ban a "dangerous precedent," arguing that "oligarchs and billionaires could just as easily prevent people from speaking out about AI, workers’ rights or any issue they don’t like." Macklemore has pledged to donate $1 million to Palestinian groups, while Kraft stated he would match Ed Sheeran's $2 million donation for "aid to the region."