Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called for both parties to “raise the level of discourse” in the wake of President Trump’s tweet about four minority House freshmen.
“The president is not a racist,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday, when asked about the motive behind Trump’s tweet.
McConnell spoke up for the first time about Trump’s tweet, which called for Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done.”
McConnell would not respond to questions about whether he believed Trump’s tweet was racist.
McConnell’s wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, came to the United States legally at the age of eight, McConnell said, adding that he is a strong supporter of “legal immigration.”
House Democrats plan a Tuesday vote on a resolution condemning Trump’s tweet. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he’ll introduce a similar measure in the Senate but the GOP controls the floor.
