Trump news: AOC, Ilhan Omar, Pressley and Tlaib slam 'hateful actions' of 'racist, xenophobic' president
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump began the week embroiled in a racism row after attempting to exploit divisions among the opposition by telling young progressive congresswomen like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came”, demanding an apology from the victims in his latest round of tweets.
Despite boasting of a 94 per cent approval rating among Republicans, the president found himself lagging behind Democratic 2020 challengers Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in a new poll conducted for NBC News/Wall Street Journal.
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents began mass deportations raids on at least 10 American cities, Mr Trump also hit out at media coverage of vice president Mike Pence's visit to a border detention centre in McAllen, Texas, on Friday, insisting the facility in question was “well run and clean” despite evidence to the contrary.
During a press conference, Ms Ocasio-Cortez, Ms Omar, and their colleagues Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib all denounced the president's attacks on them, which he doubled down on Monday afternoon at the White House.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez, finishing up her remarks, called the president "weak", and said he focuses on personal attacks because he cannot debate issues.
"Weak minds and leaders challenge loyalty to our country in order to avoid challenging and debating the policy," Ms Ocasio-Cortez said.
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An Ohio Republican has described Donald Trump's tweets from over the weekend, and this morning, as racist. Mike Turner said "we must work s a country to rise above hate, not enable it" in a tweet -
"The squad" - four Democratic congresswoman including Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib - will hold a press conference at 5:00pm EDT in response to Donald Trump's racist attacks against them -
In language perhaps never before used in public comments at the White House, the president doubled down on a series of attacks he had made on the four women of colour – three of whom were born in the US and one who moved here 20 years ago as a refugee form Somalia – who he previously told to “go back home”.
“As far as I’m concerned if you hate our country, if you’re not happy here, you can leave,” Mr Trump said at an event intended to celebrate US manufacturing, denying that a series of tweets he had posted over the weekend and on Monday morning had been racist.
Mr Trump was asked by a member of the media if it concerned him many people considered his tweets as racist and that “white nationalist groups are finding common cause with you”.
“It doesn’t concern me because many people agree with me,” he replied. “All I’m saying, they want to leave, they can leave. Now, it doesn’t say leave forever. It says leave if you want.”
Here's The Independent's Clark Mindock with more on the House resolution condemning Donald Trump's racist tweets -
We are now awaiting the press conference with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Presley, and Rashida Tlaib.
They are set to respond to the president's racist remarks.
Just as "the squad" is set to deliver their rebuke to the president, Mr Trump is doubling down on his attacks on Twitter.
The "squad" has now arrived. Ayanna Pressley is first up, and flanked by Ilhan Omar, AOC, and Rashida Tlaib.
Says she is "grateful" for the support they have seen, and calls Mr Trump's remarks "racist" and "xenophobic" remarks.
Ms Pressley said that Mr Trump only "occupies space" in the White House, and that he does not embody the virtues Americans expect from their presidents.
Ms Pressley says that she and her colleagues were sent to Washington to work on important issues like healthcare, and drug prices.
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