Trump Renews Attacks Against Dem Congresswomen: ‘Pro-Terrorist,’ ‘Vile’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday continued his hate-filled attacks on a group of Democratic congresswomen of color, falsely accusing them of being “pro-terrorist” and “anti-USA.”
Trump, who on Sunday launched his racist tirade, fired off a series of fresh tweets apparently aimed at freshman Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.). Omar and Tlaib last year became the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
″The Democratic Congresswomen have been spewing some of the most vile, hateful, and disgusting things ever said by a politician in the House or Senate,” wrote Trump, who also has falsely accused former President Barack Obama of founding the so-called Islamic State and who propelled the racist birther movement against him.
“Horrible, anti-Israel, anti-USA, pro-terrorist & public ... shouting of the F...word, among many other terrible things,” the president continued. “Why isn’t the House voting to rebuke the filthy and hate laced things they have said?”
The Democrat Congresswomen have been spewing some of the most vile, hateful, and disgusting things ever said by a politician in the House or Senate, & yet they get a free pass and a big embrace from the Democrat Party. Horrible anti-Israel, anti-USA, pro-terrorist & public.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2019
.....shouting of the F...word, among many other terrible things, and the petrified Dems run for the hills. Why isn’t the House voting to rebuke the filthy and hate laced things they have said? Because they are the Radical Left, and the Democrats are afraid to take them on. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2019
Our Country is Free, Beautiful and Very Successful. If you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, Omar and Tlaib ― known as “the Squad” on Capitol Hill ― have made headlines in recent months for butting heads with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), calling for Trump’s impeachment, and questioning America’s relationship with Israel.
Trump unleashed a racist rant against the lawmakers on Sunday, telling them to “go back” to other countries. Omar, who is black, fled war-torn Somalia with her family when she was 8 years old and immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee four years later. Pressley, who is black; Ocasio-Cortez, who is Latina; and Tlaib, who is Palestinian-American, were born in the U.S.
Despite a storm of condemnation, Trump has stood by his “go back” tweets, repeatedly calling on those who are unhappy in the U.S. to “leave.”
“I don’t have a Racist bone in my body!” he tweeted Tuesday.
“Nancy Pelosi tried to push them away, but now they are forever wedded to the Democrat Party,” he wrote of his targets. “See you in 2020!”
Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body! The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show “weakness” and fall into their trap. This should be a vote on the filthy language, statements and lies told by the Democrat.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2019
.....Congresswomen, who I truly believe, based on their actions, hate our Country. Get a list of the HORRIBLE things they have said. Omar is polling at 8%, Cortez at 21%. Nancy Pelosi tried to push them away, but now they are forever wedded to the Democrat Party. See you in 2020!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2019
Democrats were quick to deride the tweets as racist and unacceptable. Congressional Republicans have been mostly silent about the president’s bigoted remarks, save for a few exceptions.
Though Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and other Trump loyalists have steadfastly denied that the tweets were racist, some GOP lawmakers have issued a rare rebuke of the president. Asked Monday whether she believes Trump’s “go back” comments were racist, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said yes.
“The Squad” held a press conference Monday to address Trump’s remarks, calling his “go back” home tweet “blatantly racist” and “the agenda of white nationalists.”
“We love all people in this country, and that’s why we believe health care is a human right,” Ocasio-Cortez said Monday. “We love all children in this country, and because we do, that’s why we fight for all children through college.”
Trump’s vitriolic tweets on Tuesday feigning outrage over what he claimed were “vile” and “disgusting” comments drew attention to other offensive remarks he has made in recent years.
“Hey Mr. President, remember when you bragged about sexually assaulting women, talking about feeling their breasts and genitals, because ‘when you’re a star they let you do it?’” Ocasio-Cortez fired back on Twitter, referring to the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape that prompted bipartisan backlash against him ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump, who has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women, including most recently author E. Jean Carroll, claimed his remarks bragging about groping women were simply “locker room talk.”
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
Hey Mr. President, remember when you bragged about sexually assaulting women, talking about feeling their breasts and genitals, because “when you’re a star they let you do it?”
And then you imposed DOE policies to make it harder for sexual assault survivors to report assault? https://t.co/Y2sa2TUcbl— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 16, 2019
Donald Trump has decided he does not want to be President of the United States.
He does not want to be a President to those who disagree.
And he’d rather see most Americans leave than handle our nation’s enshrined tradition of dissent.
But we don’t leave the things we love. 🇺🇸— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 16, 2019
Trump on Tuesday claimed the progressive lawmakers used “filthy” language, referencing a comment made by Tlaib in January in which she called Trump “a motherfucker.” Republicans at the time issued statements condemning Tlaib’s choice of words, and she later apologized for “the distraction” her comment caused.
Yet Republicans have been largely mum when it comes to the president’s use of expletives and threatening language, including his praise for a GOP lawmaker who assaulted a reporter.
At a rally in May, Trump threw out the words “ass” and “bullshit.” Earlier that month, his public remarks included the words, “hell,” “damn” and “crap,” reported The New York Times. Members of his party didn’t appear to care publicly.
“No one has debased the civil discourse in this country more than President Trump, and the president really does set the tone in the country,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told the Times. “We see it reflected in our offices by the hateful, belligerent, obscene and violent calls that we get now that we didn’t used to get.”
This article has been updated to include additional tweets from Trump.
CORRECTION: An earlier version misstated Pressley’s state. Her district is in Massachusetts. It also stated incorrectly that Omar emigrated from Somalia in 1995. In fact, she emigrated in 1991.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.