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Donald Trump Defends Racial Tweets Towards Congresswomen

Jul 16, 2019 | 9:36 AM

photo credit: Evan El-Amin // Shutterstock

The House of Representative will vote to condemn President Trump after he tweeted a series of racial tweets towards 4 congresswomen women over the weekend.

Even though no names were dropped, many believe the tweets were aimed at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Ilhan Omar, who have recently been named “The Squad.”

Each woman responded directly to Trump on Twitter.

A press conference was held on Monday by the 4 women. Each shared their own opinion on the matter, calling Trump’s tweets a distraction from the real issues like whats happening at the border with immigrates.

“We cannot allow these hateful actions by the President to distract us from the critical work to hold this administration accountable to the inhumane conditions at the border that is separating children from their loved ones and caging them up in illegal, horrific conditions,” Tlaib said.
The performance from the four women was powerful and carefully couched in American principles and values, emphasizing issues such as education, health care and affordable housing.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked Republican lawmakers to “join” the Democrats in “condemning the President’s xenophobic tweets” and urged Democrats to support a resolution put forward by House Democratic lawmakers.

“The House cannot allow the President’s characterization of immigrants to our country to stand. Our Republican colleagues must join us in condemning the President’s xenophobic tweets,” Pelosi wrote in a Dear Colleague letter to House Democrats.

On Tuesday, Trump defended his tweets, saying they were not racist. He also told Republicans to not be “weak” in joining forces with the Democrats. Adding that if the women are not happy in the US, they could leave.

Learn more about the 4 women known as “The Squad”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

  • She is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Last year, she defeated 10-term incumbent former Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley.
  • She was born and raised in the Bronx and represents New York’s 14th Congressional District, which includes the eastern Bronx and northern Queens.
  • Her parents are working class Puerto Ricans.
  • She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, introduced the Green New Deal Resolution to combat the climate crisis, called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has forcefully spoken out against conditions in migrant detention centers.

Rashida Tlaib

  • Tlaib became the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress when she was elected in 2018.
  • She represents Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, and was the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan state Legislature.
  • Her parents are Palestinian immigrants
  • Hours after being sworn into Congress, Tlaib grabbed headlines when she told the audience at a progressive event, “We’re gonna go in there and we’re going to impeach the motherf****r” in reference to Trump.

Ayanna Pressley

  • She is the first black congresswoman to represent Massachusetts and serves the Boston-area 7th Congressional District, which was once represented by John F. Kennedy.
  • Pressley has spoken publicly about her father being incarcerated for much of her childhood and how she is a rape survivor.
  • Earlier this month, she spoke out about poor conditions for detained migrants and the growing humanitarian crisis on the southern border after touring Texas border facilities with other Democratic lawmakers.

Ilhan Omar

  • Omar is the first Somali-American member of Congress, and she and Tlaib are the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress.
  • She came to the US as a refugee and became an American citizen in 2000 at the age of 17.
  • Omar represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.
  • The congresswoman has been a vocal critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, calling its government the “apartheid Israeli regime” in a tweet.

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