President Donald Trump is once again being criticized for his tweets. This time, he tweeted Sunday that four congresswomen -- Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts), Rashida Tlaib (Michigan), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York) and Ilhan Omar (Minnesota) -- should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came."
"So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.
"Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!"
Although Trump did not single out Pressley, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and Tlaib by name, he was likely directing his tweets at them, according to The Associated Press. All four women were elected to Congress in 2018 and are women of color. Three of the four were born in America -- Tlaib, who is Muslim, was born in Detroit, Pressley, who is black, was born in Cincinnati, and Ocasio-Cortez was born in New York. Omar, who is Muslim, was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and she and her family fled the country's civil war when she was a child. She became a U.S. citizen when she was a teenager.
A number of Democrats, including Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, have hit back at what they are calling racist and xenophobic tweets.
“When @realDonaldTrump tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to ‘Make America Great Again’ has always been about making America white again,” she said in a tweet. “Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power.”
"That's a racist tweet," Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) said on "Fox News Sunday," according to The Washington Post. "Telling people to go back where they came from? These are American citizens elected by voters in the United States of America to serve in one of the most distinguished bodies in the U.S. House of Representatives. I think that's wrong."
Lujan doubled down on calling the tweet racist after his Fox News appearance, tweeting, "a racist tweet from a racist president."
By Sunday afternoon, Ocasio-Cortez and Omar responded to Trump's tweets directly, reminding him that they are U.S. citizens.
"Mr. President, the country I 'come from,' & the country we all swear to, is the United States. But given how you've destroyed our border with inhumane camps, all at a benefit to you & the corps who profit off them, you are absolutely right about the corruption laid at your feet,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
"You are angry because you don’t believe in an America where I represent New York 14, where the good people of Minnesota elected @IlhanMN, where @RashidaTlaib fights for Michigan families, where @AyannaPressley champions little girls in Boston.
"You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder.... On top of not accepting an America that elected us, you cannot accept that we don’t fear you, either. You can’t accept that we will call your bluff & offer a positive vision for this country. And that’s what makes you seethe."
Omar wrote, "As Members of Congress, the only country we swear an oath to is the United States. Which is why we are fighting to protect it from the worst, most corrupt and inept president we have ever seen.
"Yo @realDonaldTrump, I am fighting corruption in OUR country," Tlaib tweeted. "I do it every day when I hold your admin accountable as a U.S. Congresswoman. Detroit taught me how to fight for the communities you continue to degrade & attack. Keep talking, you'll be out of the WH soon. #TickTock"
Rather than tag Trump or quote his tweets, Pressley posted screenshots of his remarks and tweeted, "THIS is what racism looks like. WE are what democracy looks like. And we're not going anywhere. Except back to DC to fight for the families you marginalize and vilify everyday."
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