US President Donald Trump has come under fire for telling Democratic congresswomen "to go back" to "fix" countries they came from.
ADVERTISEMENTUS President Donald Trump has been accused of racism for telling a group of Democratic congresswomen to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
"So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe... viciously telling the people of the United States... how our government is to be run," Trump tweeted on Sunday.
Though he did not mention any names, many believe he was referring to a group of congresswomen known as the “squad”, which includes first-year Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. The group is largely critical of Trump and his policies.
All the women in the group except Omar — whose family came from Somalia as refugees in 1997 — were born in the United States.
Trump continued by saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "would be happy to work out free travel arrangements" for the women.
"Mr. President, as members of Congress, the only country we swear an oath to is the United States. Which is why we are fighting to protect it from the worst, most corrupt and inept president we have ever seen," responded Omar on Twitter.
"Mr. President, the country I “come from,” & the country we all swear to, is the United States," tweeted Ocasio-Cortez.
Pelosi who has feuded with the group in the past defended them on Sunday, calling the president's remarks "xenophobic".