Pelosi defends progressive congresswomen after Trump tells them to ‘go back’ to home countries

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned President Trump’s “xenophobic” suggestion that outspoken Democratic congresswomen should “go back” to where they came from.

“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. Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power,” Pelosi tweeted Sunday morning. “I reject @realDonaldTrump’s xenophobic comments meant to divide our nation. Rather than attack Members of Congress, he should work with us for humane immigration policy that reflects American values. Stop the raids – #FamiliesBelongTogether!”

The speaker’s defense came within hours of the president’s tweet saying that the “‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe” … “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

Despite Trump’s insinuation, only one of the four prominent progressives, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was actually born outside of the United States. Her family entered the U.S. in 1992 after having fled a civil war in Somalia.

Pelosi’s defense of the freshmen congresswomen came amid turmoil between them. The speaker recently minimized their influence in the party, to which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded by asserting that Pelosi was being “outright disrespectful” to the new congresswomen of color. Ocasio-Cortez quickly walked back the insinuation.

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