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A social media post asking for “peak woke” moments over the years quickly went viral over the weekend as people posted older clips of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., being interrupted at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2015, a transgender swimmer winning a women’s NCAA title and a “choose your fighter” video featuring “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez, along with other Democrats including Reps. Jasmine Crockett, Lauren Underwood, Katherine Clark, Judy Chu and Susie Lee, participated in the TikTok “choose your fighter” video trend last year.
The video went viral and was mocked across both sides of the aisle in March 2025.
Outkick’s Clay Travis flagged Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer’s NCAA swimming title in 2022, in addition to two ESPN announcers holding a moment of silence to protest a Florida bill dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, as reported by Yahoo! Sports at the time.
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Many also pointed to videos related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including one of former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot dressed in a “Rona Destroyer” costume in 2020.
Another social media user posted a clip of former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing announcing that people could get free Shake Shack fries if they got vaccinated during a daily press briefing in May 2021. The promotion also included a voucher for a Shake Shack burger.
In the video, he says, “I want you to look at this and think about — again, some people love hamburgers, some don’t. We really want to respect all ways of life — but if this is appealing to you, just think of this when you think of vaccination.”
After taking a bite of the burger on camera, De Blasio says, “Vaccination. Mmm. I’m getting a very good feeling about vaccination right this moment.”
Townhall’s Siraj Hashmi wrote in response, “Billy Porter performing ‘For What It’s Worth’ at the 2020 Dem Convention when everything was virtual because of COVID and the ashes from the George Floyd riots were still smoldering is PEAK WOKE.”
Hashmi also pointed to a COVID-related video of celebrities singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” in March of 2020.
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Gal Gadot, along with other celebrities including Kristen Wiig, James Marsden and Natalie Portman, posted a cover of John Lennon’s famous song “Imagine” on social media in an effort to inspire hope.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrives to the U.S. Capitol for the last votes of the week on Friday, May 15, 2026. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks at a press conference with Congresswoman Summer Lee (D-PA) on the introduction of legislation to abolish Super PACs, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on May 20, 2026. Bill de Blasio, right, at a press conference at the governor’s Manhattan office March 2, 2020, in Manhattan, New York City. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
A user pointed to a clip of Bernie Sanders being disrupted at a 2016 campaign event by Black Lives Matter protesters.
Two women walked up to the podium where Sanders was speaking and demanded the microphone as one shouted, “We are angry,” according to NBC News.
After receiving boos from the crowd, one of the women said, “I was going to tell Bernie how racist this city is … but you already did it for me.”
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The “End Wokeness” account, that posed the “peak woke” question originally, posted a video of White people kneeling and asking for forgiveness from the Black community.
The viral moment took place in Houston in 2020 after the death of George Floyd.
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