President Donald Trump has defended his recent tweets calling for four first-year Democratic congresswomen to “go back” to the “places from which they came”, despite being accused of racism.
In wake of the backlash, the president called for an apology “to the office of the president” during a press conference.
On Monday, Trump ‘renewed his attack, calling on the congresswomen to apologise to him, the United States and Israel’.
Again, taking to Twitter, a seemingly aggravated Mr Trump wrote:
So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, “RACIST.” Their disgusting language…..
The widespread outrage was ignited after the president tweeted that ‘progressive Democratic congresswomen’ who ‘originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe’ and suggested that they should go back to where they came from.
Although Trump didn’t name the congresswomen, it is widely believed he was targeting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley, a group known as ‘the squad’ that has been critical of Trump as well as current Democratic House leaders. Notably, they are all women of colour.
For the record, all are American citizens and three of them were born in America.
President Trump originally tweeted on Sunday evening:
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.
The president went on to mention that Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, would be happy to sort out travel for the women which is believed to be a reference to her recent disagreement with Ms Ocasio-Cortez.
Pelosi and other Democrats came to the women’s defence Sunday, saying Trump was ‘exacerbating white nationalism and sideling racial minorities with “xenophobic” rhetoric’.
Democrat candidate, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, condemned Trump’s tweets, saying they were the ‘hallmark language of white supremacists.’
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L’Oréal Blackett is a freelance journalist, broadcaster, and presenter with a lot of hair and a lot to say. A former digital magazine editor covering women’s issues and local news, she now works for a range of media publications including BBC Radio Manchester, Bumble and of course, UNILAD.