President Donald Trump refused to back down Monday over a series of tweets telling freshman Democratic congresswomen to fix their “corrupt and inept” homelands before legislating in the U.S., asserting that the group of women “hate our country.”
The tweets were deemed to be racist by many, as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley were all born in the United States. Rep. Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. as a refugee. (RELATED: Trump To Progressives: Fix Where You Came From First)
During a “Made in America” event at the White House, the president brushed aside charges of racism and instead continued to attack the congresswomen. (RELATED: Lindsey Graham Defends Trump, Calls Ocasio-Cortez And Co. ‘A Bunch Of Communists’)
“If weak politicians want to say — and the Democrats in this case — if they want to gear their wagons around these four people, I think they’re going to have a very tough election, because I don’t think the people of the United States will stand for it,” Trump asserted.
“These are people that hate our country,” he continued. “They hate it — I think — with a passion. Now, it’s possible I’m wrong. The voter will decide.”
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Trump specifically blasted the members for alleged anti-Semitism and comments about 9/11 and al-Qaeda. Rep. Omar, for example, infamously tweeted in 2012 that “Israel has hypnotized the world” and described the 9/11 terrorist attacks during a CAIR event in late March as “some people did something.”
“All I’m saying is, if they want to leave, then leave,” Trump said, addressing the part of his tweet thread that suggested the congresswomen were from other countries. “It doesn’t say leave forever.”
Omar, an immigrant, claimed she “probably” loves America more than natural-born Americans, arguing that her critiques of America are merely attempts to make the country live up to its values.