President Trump’s fans do him no favors by defending all of his actions.
His tweets over the weekend about freshmen Democratic congresswomen going back to where they came from were both morally repellent and politically stupid. Republicans don’t help the president by pretending otherwise.
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……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
Yet on Fox and Friends, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., stopped short of condemning the tweets.
“Well, we all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of communists, they hate Israel, they hate our own country,” Graham said. “They’re calling the guards along our border, the border patrol agents, ‘concentration camp guards.’ They accuse people who support Israel of doing it for the Benjamins. They’re anti-Semitic. They’re anti-America.”
Graham advised the president to “aim higher,” but he spent most of his time justifying Trump’s attacks on the congresswomen. It is assumed, by the way, that Trump was referring to some or all of the “squad” — Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Similarly, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told the Washington Examiner that the tweets were strategic.
“He wants the Democratic Party to identify with them,” Gingrich said. “I think the president is often inartful, but remarkably effective.”
This seems to be the narrative Trump wants to spread, as he quickly spun the offensive tweets in his favor.
The Dems were trying to distance themselves from the four “progressives,” but now they are forced to embrace them. That means they are endorsing Socialism, hate of Israel and the USA! Not good for the Democrats!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2019
Trump’s tweets, however, were more than inartful. They were immoral and divisive, just the type of thing to alienate potential Trump voters rather than unite a fracturing Democratic Party. Sure, this may temporarily end House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s feud with AOC, but Trump’s divisive rhetoric may split apart his own base long after the Democrats turn back to their infighting.
Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume got it right, tweeting: “Trump’s ‘go back’ comments were nativist, xenophobic, counterfactual and politically stupid.” No amount of spin by Republicans can make this latest outburst a win for the party.
