House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced plans for a resolution condemning President Donald Trump’s racist Twitter rant in which he said four Democratic congresswoman ― all of them American ― should “go back and help fix” the “totally broken” countries they came from.
“This weekend, the President went beyond his own low standards using disgraceful language about Members of Congress,” Pelosi wrote in a letter telling House Democrats about the “forthcoming” resolution.
“The House cannot allow the President’s characterization of immigrants to our country to stand,” Pelosi wrote. She said Democrats “will continue to forcefully respond to these disgusting attacks.”
Trump’s racist tweets didn’t attack lawmakers by name, but appeared aimed at freshmen Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), and Ilhan Omar (Minn.). All four are women of color and U.S. citizens, although Omar was born in Somalia.
Despite a storm of Democratic outrage, Trump on Monday stood his ground and called the targets of his Sunday tweets racist.
“So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our country,” he tweeted Monday. He doubled down on his statements and asked the lawmakers to apologize to “our country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President.”
Later, at a White House event, Trump fueled the controversy further. “These are people who hate our country,” he railed against the congresswomen. “They hate it, I think with a passion. Now it’s possible I’m wrong, the voters will decide.”
Pelosi and House Democrats doubled down as well by announcing the resolution. The measure will be sponsored by Polish-born Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) and other Democratic members who are naturalized citizens.
A vote on the resolution would force Republicans ― who largely have been silent on Trump’s tweets ― to go on the record. Though several Republicans have denounced the president’s tweets, others defended him.
“You are stoking white nationalism bc you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda,” Omar wrote on Twitter in a response to Trump on Sunday.
Omar noted that all members of Congress swear an oath to the United States, which she said is why she and other Democrats are fighting to protect the country from “the worst, most corrupt and inept president we have ever seen.”