Donald Trump is a media maven.

Since his 2015 presidential campaign, he has controlled the news cycle with novelty and spectacle, proving capable of steering the day's narrative with a single tweet.

And in the years since 2015, no politician has proved an effective counterweight.

Enter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The freshman Democratic representative was unheard of this time last year.

She stepped into the national spotlight in June, after an unexpected primary victory.

At age 29, she is the youngest-ever congresswoman.

She claims only 2.7 million Twitter followers to the President's 57.8 million.

But after holding office for two months, she has more Twitter influence than any media outlet or democratic politician.

According to a CNN poll, she is a household name for six in 10 Americans.

She is routinely making headlines, growing her following and becoming a rising force in politics — all using media tactics that look a lot like Mr Trump's.

Ocasio-Cortez uses Trump's playbook

The two politicians could not be further apart on the political spectrum, but the fundamentals of their strategy boil down to the same rules:

Speak directly to the public; not through intermediaries

Speak directly to the public; not through intermediaries Keep yourself in the spotlight; strike often and frequently

Keep yourself in the spotlight; strike often and frequently Be bold and name names; don't wait to defend yourself

Be bold and name names; don't wait to defend yourself Above all else, maintain your image as a political outsider

Both fire off attacks that are amplified by their followers. Accordingly, they field heaps of criticism.

As sometimes happens with Mr Trump, attacks against Ms Ocasio-Cortez seem to work in her favour.

When she tweeted earnestly about her wonder at congressional orientation, a DC blogger posted a candid photo of her, suggesting her nondescript black jacket was a sign of wealth.

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The left was quick to label it a power tactic designed to undermine the points she had raised that week around female representation in Congress.

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AOC, as she has monogrammed herself, probably did not need to respond. But in doing so, she landed securely in the news cycle and strengthened her unapologetically authentic persona.

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This same scenario has played out again and again.

Most recently, a conservative Twitter account posted a video of a college-aged AOC dancing on a rooftop.

It was intended to embarrass her, but instead earned her praise and attention.

Like Mr Trump, she brandishes her origin story whenever she can.

But where Mr Trump talks about his "self-made millions", Ms Ocasio-Cortez talks about bartending and living in the Bronx.

Both of those origin stories have been dissected and dismantled by opposing partisan media.

If nothing else, it is evidence that success as a "non-traditional candidate" can both infuriate critics and energise supporters.

And that mix plays well on social media.

Twitter is only the tip of the iceberg

Mr Trump is a self-confessed luddite. His aversion to computers and preference for chart-heavy analog briefings is no grand secret.

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He has narrowed his approach to two mediums: Twitter and TV.

The Donald Trump Facebook and Instagram accounts are controlled by professionals, and it shows.

Critics say the tone is impersonal. The slogans are stale. The spectacle is lost.

Mr Trump's former social media strategist, Justin McConney, told Politico the pair perfected the Twitter approach early in the campaign.

Even now, it takes just one outrageous tweet for the President to dominate the US cable news networks, which will rebroadcast his tweets, in their entirety, as graphics on the screen.

Likewise, he makes one call into his favourite network, Fox News, and the Twitterverse is aflame with outrage.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, pictured with Nancy Pelosi, brandishes her origin story whenever she can. ( Reuters: Joshua Roberts )

Ms Ocasio-Cortez, on the other hand, is everywhere all at once.

She can and does appear on the traditional network talk show circuit, where she debates the finer points of her policy, or criticises the President's.

She is hyperactive on Instagram, where she catalogues for 2.1 million followers everything from her make-up routine to her policy meetings.

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She has also hopped on Twitch, a live stream video game platform, where she proved perfectly in touch with the audience by naming the Nintendo 64 as her favourite console — though her family was never wealthy enough to own one.

She is even seizing the spotlight at the film festival Sundance.

Not only did she star in a documentary about up-and-coming candidates, but she surprised and delighted the audience with a live tele-appearance.

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Other Democrats fall flat

To be clear, she is not the only Democrat experimenting. She is merely the most effective.

Take failed Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke, who overconfidently overshares. He once live streamed his dentist appointment.

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As he debates a 2020 run, Mr O'Rourke is driving around the US like Jack Kerouac, documenting it all in a stream-of-consciousness diary on the niche blogging platform Medium. It is not getting a lot of positive praise.

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Then there is Elizabeth Warren, the presidential candidate who attempted a live stream to appear authentic — but ultimately gained more attention for appearing … awkward.

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Even former vice-president Joe Biden jumped into the fray, starting a news analysis podcast.

But no strategy has proved as effective as Ms Ocasio-Cortez's.

As evidence, she was asked by her Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives to give a training session.

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Tied up in the question of Democratic copycatting is this: How much of her success is sheer political savvy, and how much is just authentic AOC?

Should her ease on these platforms be attributed to her age? Is her relatability a product of her Cinderella, normal-girl-gets-to-congress backstory?

Maybe. These are the talking points her critics keep surfacing.

But no matter where she gets it, it is safe to expect Ms Ocasio-Cortez's strategy is here to stay.

There is one name conspicuously missing from her list of public critics.

Mr Trump has not said much of anything about Ms Ocasio-Cortez.

It could mean that he does not perceive her as a threat.

Or maybe, just maybe, it could mean that "he doesn't know how to deal with a girl from the Bronx".