4 Democratic women slam US President Donald Trump’s ‘xenophobic bigoted remarks’

Defiant in face of widespre censure, President Donald Trump escalated his demand for four Democratic congresswomen of color to leave U.S. “right w,” stoking discord that helped send him to White House and claiming “many people agree with me.”

At Capitol, four lawmakers fired back, condemning what y called “xephobic bigoted remarks” and renewing calls for Democrats to begin impeachment proceedings.

Trump h called on four to “go back” to ir “broken and crime-infested” countries in tweets that have been widely deunced as racist. His remarks were directed at Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. All are American citizens, and three of four were born in U.S.

episode served tice that Trump is willing to again rely on incendiary rhetoric on issues of race and immigration to preserve his political base in leup to 2020 election.

“It doesn’t concern me because many people agree with me,” Trump said Monday at White House. “A lot of people love it, by way.”

At Capitol, re was near-unanimous condemnation from Democrats and a rumble of discontent from a subset of Republicans, but tably t from party’s congressional leers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said Trump’s campaign slogan truly means he wants to “make America white again,” anunced Monday that House would vote on a resolution condemning his new comments. resolution “strongly condemns” Trump’s “racist comments” and says y “have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.”

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, party’s White House minee in 2012 and w one of president’s most vocal GOP critics, said Trump’s comments were “destructive, demeaning, and disunifying.”

Far from backing down, Trump dug in.

“If you’re t happy in U.S., if you’re complaining all time, you can leave, you can leave right w,” he said.

president’s words, which evoked trope of telling black people to go back to Africa, may have been partly meant to widen divides within House Democratic caucus, which has been riven by internal debate over how best to oppose his policies. And while Trump’s attacks brought Democrats toger in defense of ir colleagues, his allies ted he was also having some success in making progressive lawmakers face of ir party.

Republican president questioned wher Democrats should “want to wrap” mselves around this group of four people as he recited a list of quartet’s most controversial statements.

Trump “does t kw how to defend his policies and so what he does is attack us personally,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, said his party would also try to force a vote in GOP-controlled chamber.

Trump, who won presidency in 2016 in part by energizing disaffected voters with inflammatory racial rhetoric, me clear he has intention of backing away from that strategy in 2020.

“ Dems were trying to distance mselves from four ‘progressives,’ but w y are forced to embrace m,” he tweeted Monday afteron. “That means y are endorsing Socialism, hate of Israel and USA! t good for Democrats!”

Trump has faced few consequences for such attacks in past. y typically earn him cycles of wall-to-wall media attention. He is wring that his most stefast supporters will be energized by controversy as much, or if t more so, than opposition.

“It’s possible I’m wrong,” Trump allowed Monday. “ voters will decide.”

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president has told aides that he was giving voice to what many of his supporters believe — that y are tired of people, including immigrants, disrespecting ir country, according to three Republicans close to White House who were t authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.

Trump singled out Omar, in particular, accusing her of having “hatred” for Israel and expressing “love” for “enemies like al-Qaida.”

“se are people that, in my opinion, hate our country,” he said.

Omar, in an interview, once laughed about how a college professor h spoken of al-Qaida with an intensity she said was t used to describe “America,” ″England” or “ Army.”

She dressed herself directly to Trump in a tweet, writing, “You are stoking white nationalism (because) you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled nda.”

Republicans largely trod carefully with ir responses. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of president who golfed with him over weekend, vised him to “aim higher” during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” even as he accused four Democrats of being “anti-Semitic” and “anti-American.”

Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, said “I don’t think that president’s intent in any way is racist,” pointing to Trump’s decision to choose Elaine Chao, who was born outside country, as his transportation secretary.

Chao is one of few mirities among largely white and male aides in high-profile roles in Trump’s ministration. She is wife of Senate Republican leer Mitch McConnell, who declined to comment Monday on Trump’s attacks.

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Among few GOP lawmakers commenting Monday, Rep. Pete Olson of Texas said Trump’s tweets were “t reflective of values of 1,000,000+ people” in his district.

“We are proud to be most diverse Congressional district in America,” he wrote. “I urge our President immediately disavow his comments.”

Several or Republicans went out of ir way to say y were t condoning views of Democrats, while encouraging Trump to retract his comments.

In an Associated Press-RC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from February 2017, half of Americans said mixing of culture and values from around world is an important part of America’s identity as a nation. Fewer, about a third, said same of a culture established by early European immigrants.

But partisans in that poll were divided over se aspects of America’s identity. About two-thirds of Democrats but only about a third of Republicans thought mixing of world cultures was important to country’s identity. By comparison, nearly half of Republicans but just about a quarter of Democrats saw culture of early European immigrants as important to nation.