The fallout from Donald Trump’s racist and inflammatory tweets directing four female congresswomen – Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-OH), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Rashina Tlaib (D-MA), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MI) – to “go back to the places from which they came” continued on Tuesday, with world leaders, Democratic members of Congress, and even a handful (although a very small one) of conservative news personalities condemning the racist rhetoric.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to ABC News: Mitch McConnell is "complicit in advancing racism in America if he doesn't even have the backbone to speak out against the most basic, basic line." pic.twitter.com/aNq5nJl7d0
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 16, 2019
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (D-KY) gave a press conference on Tuesday, during which he answered questions about Trump’s tweets and insisted that they were not racist. Of course, McConnell and Trump, two wealthy white men who have never experienced racism and never will, really shouldn’t be telling four black and brown women what racism really is.
Asked about McConnell’s statement by a reporter from ABC News, the congresswoman from New York said:
‘When you tell American citizens to go back to their country, especially when we are sworn citizens and duly elected by fellow American citizens … that has everything to do with race.’
Ocasio-Cortez tells @SerenaMarsh McConnell is "complicit in advancing racism in America" for not criticizing Trump.
"When you tell American citizens to go back to their country … that has everything to do with race" (link: https://t.co/EvUxozFFaD) https://t.co/RZMnVcXpBj
— NotMyPresident (@ironstowe) July 16, 2019
Although Trump is only the second man on his father’s side to be born in America, and although three of the four congresswomen were also born in the United States and the fourth has been a citizen longer than the first lady has, Trump insisted in his tweet that the four women should not be telling “us” how to run “out country.” Apparently, “us” is white, European-American citizens.
No matter how much McConnell is trying to backpedal and blame “both sides” for the inflammatory rhetoric, even saying that the four women and everyone who has spoken out against Trump’s words were “overheated,” Ocasio-Cortez was not backing down.
‘They have targeted four congresswomen of color who are American citizens with a classic line of white supremacy,. And they are trying to pivot, and they are trying to excuse it, and frankly the majority leader is complicit in advancing racism in America if he doesn’t even have the backbone to speak out against most basic, basic line.’
Mitch McConnell is asked by @mkraju if someone said to his wife, Transportation Sec'y Elaine Chao, that she should 'go back to her country,' would he consider that racist.
McConnell doesn't directly answer the question. pic.twitter.com/aONeAyEIiV
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 16, 2019
During that same press conference, McConnell was asked if he would consider someone asking his own wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who is a Chinese immigrant herself, to “go back” to her country racist. He deflected from actually answering the question and said that his wife came to this country at eight years old and pursued the American dream. Of course, so did Rep. Omar, who came to the country at 10 years old and became a citizen at 17 and a congresswoman at 35. Yet McConnell continued to blame the women as much as the president for the statements.
‘From the president to the Speaker to freshman members of the House — all of us have the responsibility to elevate the public discourse.’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pressuring House Dems ahead of scheduled recess to pass a border bill that's "completely irresponsible": "I will stay here all weekend to make sure that we get this thing done" https://t.co/VrZKoLUQ0M pic.twitter.com/2kVhnVJN4n
— CNN (@CNN) June 27, 2019
Featured image screenshot via video
