President Trump doubled down on his criticism of the Democratic Party’s far-left wing, saying members of the caucus should apologize for their “disgusting” rhetoric.
“When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said,” Trump tweeted early Monday morning. “So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!”
Trump’s tweet refers to four newly-elected liberal members of the House, dubbed “the squad”: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
All four have been vocal critics of Trump’s policy and conduct while in office and threatening to start a campaign in the House to remove him from office.
When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2019
On Sunday, Trump sparked controversy when he tweeted the four congresswomen should “go back” to the countries from which they emigrated and fix the laws there before telling him how to deal with the crisis at the U.S. southern border.
“Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” Trump tweeted Sunday. “Then come back and show us how it’s done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough.”
Each of the congresswoman, three of whom were born in the United States, responded to Trump’s tweet by calling the president “inept” and “a weak bully.”
“I’m proud of my Palestinian roots & a WEAK bully like you never wins,” Tlaib tweeted. “This is what America looks like.”
Several prominent Democrats and media pundits condemned Trump’s tweet as racist, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who called his comments “xenophobic.”
No leading Republicans have commented publicly on Trump’s tweet.
[Related: Theresa May: Trump’s tweets on Democrats ‘completely unacceptable’]
