Former President Barack Obama shared a letter in the form of an opinion article that castigated President Trump for the “poisoning of our democracy.”
The letter, which appeared in the Washington Post, was co-signed by 149 African Americans who served in the Obama administration. The letter criticized Trump for his feud with a group of four liberal minority women lawmakers.
Obama, the first black president, tweeted the letter out Saturday as Trump lashed out at Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, a black Democrat from Baltimore.
“I’ve always been proud of what this team accomplished during my administration. But more than what we did, I’m proud of how they’re continuing to fight for an America that’s better,” Obama said in the tweet.
I’ve always been proud of what this team accomplished during my administration. But more than what we did, I’m proud of how they’re continuing to fight for an America that’s better. https://t.co/0cfDltjueP
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 27, 2019
Among the signatories is former White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.
Last week, the president engaged in a war of words with “the squad,” Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, insisting that they “go back” to their home countries, although only Omar was born outside of the United States.
“We stand with [the] congresswomen, as well as all those currently under attack by President Trump, along with his supporters and his enablers, who feel deputized to decide who belongs here — and who does not. … We refuse to sit idly by as racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia are wielded by the president and any elected official complicit in the poisoning of our democracy,” the letter said.
On Sunday, Trump called Cummings a “brutal bully” and described his black-majority district as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” and “more dangerous” than the southern border.
Rallying to Cummings’ defense, Democrats called Trump’s tweets racist, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a 2020 candidate for president. Baltimore Mayor Bernard Young said Trump is “a disappointment to the people of Baltimore, our country, and to the world.”
