After President Donald Trump told a group of woman politicians of color to go back to where they came from, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a strong message for him.
On Sunday – incapable of hiding his bigotry for one more second – Trump tweeted: “So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly…… ….and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they 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. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”
For many, these comments are a blatant display of Trump’s racism. Some of the Congresswomen he called out were born in the United States. But even if they weren’t, it doesn’t mean their voices are less important on issues that impact all of us.
In a series of tweets, AOC shut down Trump.
“Mr. President, the country I “come from,” & the country we all swear to, is the United States,” she wrote. “But given how you’ve destroyed our border with inhumane camps, all at a benefit to you & the corps who profit off them, you are absolutely right about the corruption laid at your feet.”
She went on to explain that Trump can’t envision a country where leaders of color have a say in what happens to the country. But constituents elected her, Ilham Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley, because they believed in them.
“You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us,” she continued. “You rely on a frightened America for your plunder. You won’t accept a nation that sees healthcare as a right or education as a #1 priority, especially where we’re the ones fighting for it. Yet here we are… But you know what’s the rub of it all, Mr. President? On top of not accepting an America that elected us, you cannot accept that we don’t fear you, either. You can’t accept that we will call your bluff & offer a positive vision for this country. And that’s what makes you seethe.”
Update, July 15 at 5:50 p.m. ET: AOC, Tlaib, Pressley and Omar held a press conference to address Trump’s tweets. Check out Alexandria’s comments below.