On Sunday, President Donald Trump told four progressive Democratic congresswomen to go back to their own countries and fix the crime there after they criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Washington Post reported.
His passionate series of tweets have prompted other Democrats, and Pelosi herself, to defend the congresswomen and denounce Trump’s suggestion.
The POTUS’ tweets were aimed at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley.
The four freshmen Democrats and women of color had previously and publicly spoken out against racist systems within the American government and, more specifically, Trump’s immigration policies.
Ocasio-Cortez in particular has been quite vocal in her responses to House Speaker Pelosi and accused her of using busy work to keep the congresswoman occupied.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Trump rallied against the congresswomen and told them to “go back” to their own countries.
“So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe…now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States…how our government is to be run,” Trump wrote in the three-part online rant.
He then added, “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken crime infested places from which they came.”
Shortly after, Pelosi took to her own Twitter to tweet the president back a response to his suggestion.
She pointed out that his tweet essentially “reaffirms his plan to ‘Make America Great Again'” by “making America white again,” adding, “Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power.”
In another tweet, Pelosi made it clear that she does not support Trump’s views, nor his suggestion to the congresswomen.
She dubbed his tweets “xenophobic” and said they were intended to “divide our nation.”
“Rather than attack Members of Congress, he should work with us for humane immigraiton policy that reflects American values,” she wrote, adding “Stop the raids” and the hashtag #FamiliesBelongTogether.
New York congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez also tweeted a response after Trump told her to go back to her country.
Not only did she remind Trump that the country she comes from is, in fact, America, she also decided to change the narrative and point the blame at him for the corruption and lawlessness occurring at the southern border.
In another tweet she wrote, “You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder.”
Others have come to the defense of the minority congresswomen and denounced Trump’s comments.
Michigan Rep. Justin Amash called the president a disgusting racist in his tweet. Amash has said he is leaving the GOP due to Trump’s policies and was the only Republican to call for his impeachment.
Texas congressman Joaquin Castro tweeted his response to the president, writing, “They’re Americans. You’re a bigot.”
Matt Wolking the deputy director of communications for Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, attempted to put out the fire Trump’s tweets caused.
Taking to Twitter, he accused the media of mischaracterizing the president’s words: “Anyone who says the president told members of Congress to go back to where they came from is lying,” he wrote. “He told them to ‘Then come back and show us how it is done.'”
h/t: Washington Post
