Politics
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused President Donald Trump of having a "racist mind" and a "racist heart" after Trump said he doesn't have a "racist bone in my body."
- Trump defended himself on Tuesday against widespread condemnation after telling four progressive congresswomen of color to "go back" to the "crime infested" countries they came from; all of the women are US citizens.
- The notion that American citizens of color don't deserve their citizenship is a long-standing racist trope in the US.
- "Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don't have a Racist bone in my body!" the president wrote Tuesday.
- Ocasio-Cortez replied: "You're right, Mr. President - you don't have a racist bone in your body. You have a racist mind in your head, and a racist heart in your chest."
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive freshman lawmaker from New York, accused President Donald Trump of having a "racist mind" and a "racist heart" after Trump said he doesn't have a "racist bone in my body."
Trump defended himself on Tuesday against widespread condemnation for a series of racist tweets attacking four progressive congresswomen of color, including Ocasio-Cortez.
Trump on Sunday told the outspoken Democratic lawmakers to "go back" to the "crime infested" countries they came from, despite the fact that only one was born outside the US. The notion that American citizens of color don't deserve their citizenship is a long-standing racist trope in the US.
"Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don't have a Racist bone in my body!" the president wrote, adding that a House resolution condemning his words was a "trap." "The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show 'weakness' and fall into their trap."
Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly hit back at Trump over his attacks on her and her allies. She did so again on Tuesday.
"You're right, Mr. President - you don't have a racist bone in your body. You have a racist mind in your head, and a racist heart in your chest," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday. "That's why you violate the rights of children and tell the Congresswoman who represents your home borough, to 'go back to my country.'"
During a Monday evening press conference, Ocasio-Cortez said Trump's "go back" tweets challenge fundamental American ideals of who belongs in the United States.
"I want to tell children across this country ... that no matter what the president says, this country belongs to you, and it belongs to everyone, and today, that notion - that very notion - was challenged," she said, adding, "Weak minds and leaders challenge loyalty to our country in order to avoid challenging and debating the policy."