Republicans are pushing the idea that Donald Trump’s racist Twitter thread and insults toward four U.S. members of Congress – Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-OH), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) – were in fact not racist and are being called such only by Democrats and the media. On Friday, Germany’s Angela Merkel explicity denounced Trump’s comments and European Council President Donald Tusk did so, as well.
As it turns out, it isn’t just Democrats or the media who heard the bugle call of racism in Trump’s tweets. The only people who say they didn’t are Trump’s supporters in the GOP.
During a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Tusk made a comment on the hospitality in Canada, saying that he “felt at home” because no one was “shouting “send him back!” while he was there. He didn’t need to mention Trump’s name. Everyone understood the reference, because this is what the United States is known for now. Tusk later repeated the sentiment on Twitter.
Republicans continue to defend Trump, saying that he is being taken out of context (he’s not) and misinterpreted (that’s not true, either). While it’s clear that Trump knew exactly what he was doing when he issued those tweets, it’s what Trump inspires rather than what he personally believes that’s more concerning. At a rally in North Carolina, Trump’s fanbase chanted “send her back!” at the mention of Rep. Omar. Trump later said that he did not care for those chants and that he tried to stop them, although video evidence proves otherwise. Just one day later, Trumpd defended those same rallygoers as “true patriots.”
Twitter got the reference, as well, and thanked Tusk for pointing it out. Read some of their comments below:
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
