Congresswomen fire back at President Donald Trump, after making racial remarks directed at them.
What We Know:
- Trump made a series of tweets in which he called out “progressive democratic women” and told them to “go back” to the country from which they came instead of “telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.”
- Although no names were mentioned, it was clear that his tweets were aimed at four progressive women of color—known as “The Squad”—which includes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
- The four women shared the stage at a press conference at the Capitol Monday afternoon to address Trump’s remarks. Pressley said the comments were an effort to divide America. “Despite [the president’s] attempts to marginalize us and to silence us, please know that we are more than four people. We ran on a mandate to advocate for and represent those ignored, left out and left behind.”
- Omar called the Trump administration “the most corrupt administration in our history” and said it is hypocritical for the president to tell the critics of his policies that they should leave the country. “When this president ran and until today, he talked about everything that was wrong in this country and how he was going to make it great. And so for him to condemn us and to say we are un-American for wanting to work hard to make this country be the country we all deserve to live in, it’s complete hypocrisy.”
- The president’s Twitter fingers were on fire during the impromptu press conference. “We will never be a Socialist or Communist Country. IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY HERE, YOU CAN LEAVE! It is your choice, and your choice alone. This is about love for America. Certain people HATE our Country….” he wrote.
- Ocasio-Cortez had a message for American children, “No matter what the president says, this country belongs to you and it belongs to everyone.”
Several GOP lawmakers didn’t completely agree with the congresswomen but spoke out against Trump’s comments. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said in a statement that his remarks were “way over the line” and should be taken down. Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who’s been at odds with the four lawmakers, came to their defense tweeting that his comments “reaffirms plan to ‘Make America Great Again’ has always been about making America white again.”
