Trump says that his tweets being called racist 'doesn't concern' him because 'many people agree' with him
- President Donald Trump on Monday said he's not concerned tweets he sent attacking Democratic lawmakers have been condemned as racist.
- "It doesn't concern me, because many people agree with me," Trump said.
- In tweets the day before, Trump suggested several "Progressive" Democrats should leave the US and "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."
- Trump's tweets were seemingly aimed at four women of color: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
- The president's tweets played off of the racist "go back to Africa" trope.
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President Donald Trump on Monday was being decried as racist by Democrats, world leaders, and a small group of Republicans over tweets he sent the day prior, but he didn't seem particularly concerned.
Asked by a reporter if he was concerned that "white nationalists are finding common cause with you," the president said, "It doesn't concern me, because many people agree with me."
"All I'm saying is that if they want to leave they can leave. It doesn't say leave forever," Trump said in reference to his tweets before pivoting to bragging about the growing economy.
Trump at the White House on Monday also said, "As far as I'm concerned if you hate our country, if you're not happy here, you can leave."
"If you're not happy in the U.S., if you're complaining all the time, very simply: you can leave," he said, doubling down on his tweets. "You can leave right now. I don't know who's going to miss 'em."
Trump's tweets on Sunday were aimed at "'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen" whom he said "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)."
"Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came," Trump went on to say.
The tweets were seemingly directed at Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. All of these lawmakers are US citizens, three of whom were born in the US.
Trump has been widely decried as racist for his tweets. But most Republicans, including the party's leaders in Congress, have remained silent on the matter.
The president earlier on Monday suggested the lawmakers he attacked were the actual racists.
"If Democrats want to unite around the foul language & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentative Congresswomen, it will be interesting to see how it plays out," Trump tweeted. "I can tell you that they have made Israel feel abandoned by the U.S."
The lawmakers Trump attacked have been heavily critical of the president on array of issues, especially his immigration policies, with Ocasio-Cortez sparking a fierce debate in recent weeks after comparing the facilities the administration has detained migrants in to "concentration camps."
Omar has also been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and the US government's support for it, making comments that sparked accusations of anti-Semitism and prompted her to apologize.
And Tlaib earlier this year drew Trump's ire when, in a reference to the president, she vowed to "impeach the motherf---er."
But none of these lawmakers have expressed explicitly racist sentiments and all have made a concerted effort to promote the importance of diversity and inclusiveness, which they've contended are inherently American concepts and ideals.