Trump celebrates defeat of veteran Democrat - without realising the young Latina woman who triumphed called for his impeachment

Donald Trump has mocked the election defeat of an established Democrat congressman, apparently failing to realise the 28-year-old woman who beat him has repeatedly out his policies – including his decision to separate migrant families at the border. She has also supported calls for his impeachment.

In the aftermath of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeat of 10-time Democratic congressman Joe Crowley in the primary for New York’s 14th Democratic congressional district, the president – who was born up and grew up in the city’s Queens’ borough, sought to somehow claim victory for Mr Crowley’s loss.

“Wow! Big Trump Hater Congressman Joe Crowley, who many expected was going to take Nancy Pelosi’s place, just LOST his primary election,” he tweeted.

“In other words, he’s out! That is a big one that nobody saw happening. Perhaps he should have been nicer, and more respectful, to his President!” Earlier, he had said: “The Democrats are in Turmoil! Open Borders and unchecked Crime a certain way to lose elections. Republicans are for Strong Borders, NO Crime! A BIG NIGHT!.”

But observers of Ms Ocasio-Cortez victory, perhaps the biggest congressional primary upset since Republican House majority leader Eric Cantor lost Virginia’s 7th congressional district in 2014 to Tea Party insurgent David Brat, pointed out that the woman who vanquished Mr Crowley has been very critical of many of the president’s policies.

A member of the Democratic Socialist Alliance, Ms Ms Ocasio-Cortez ran to the left of Mr Crowley, on a platform of Medicare-for-all, a federal jobs guarantee, tougher regulation of Wall Street, the rejection of money from Political Action Committees and the abolition of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

She also said she would support any move to impeach Mr Trump. “I would support impeachment. I think that, you know, we have the grounds to do it,” she said recently.

During her campaign, Ms Ocasio-Cortez did not obsess about Mr Trump.

“Democrats who spend more time talking about Trump and Russia than this are going to lose,” she tweeted. “Families are in real crisis. Congress actually has the power to change our lives for the better. If we’re not proposing new and ambitious solutions, then why bother running?”

Yet, just weeks before the vote she visited the Texas camps where children had been separated from their parents – a move that spared international outcry and led Mr Trump to terminate the move.

“The child detention camps are here – I confronted the border officers myself. Using their names, I told them exactly what they are responsible for,” she tweeted.

“One of them made eye contact with me. I spoke directly to him.

“I saw his sense of guilt. We can dismantle this.”

On Wednesday, Ms Ocasio-Cortez reflected on why she had won her race.

“We had a clear winning message,” she told CNN. “And we took that to doors that had not been knocked on before.”