Donald Trump has drawn a lot of criticism for telling four US congresswomen of colour to “go back” to where they came from. The women in question – three of whom were born in the US – aren’t taking this lying down.
“Complete and total catastrophe”
Trump tweeted the following on 14 July:
….and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
As The Canary reported:
While Trump did not name the four, he is almost certainly referring to congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Only Omar, from Somalia, is foreign-born.
All of them have responded. Ocasio-Cortez said:
Mr. President, the country I “come from,” & the country we all swear to, is the United States.
But given how you’ve destroyed our border with inhumane camps, all at a benefit to you & the corps who profit off them, you are absolutely right about the corruption laid at your feet. https://t.co/HLKQCotR8T
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 14, 2019
But you know what’s the rub of it all, Mr. President?
On top of not accepting an America that elected us, you cannot accept that we don’t fear you,either.
You can’t accept that we will call your bluff & offer a positive vision for this country. And that’s what makes you seethe.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 14, 2019
Omar shot back:
Mr. President,
As Members of Congress, the only country we swear an oath to is the United States.
Which is why we are fighting to protect it from the worst, most corrupt and inept president we have ever seen. https://t.co/FBygHa2QTt
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 14, 2019
Pressley had this to say:
THIS is what racism looks like. WE are what democracy looks like. And we’re not going anywhere. Except back to DC to fight for the families you marginalize and vilify everyday. pic.twitter.com/vYzoxCgN0X
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) July 14, 2019
And Tlaib spoke out too:
Want a response to a lawless & complete failure of a President?
He is the crisis.
His dangerous ideology is the crisis.
He needs to be impeached.— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) July 14, 2019
Response
Many people were crystal clear about what Trump is and what he represents:
Donald Trump is a racist. Full stop.
If you are part of this administration, defend him in congress, or voted for him and continue to support him, you are part of that racism. I don’t differentiate between him and you.
Dems, stop trying to court these people. They are poison. https://t.co/lRDOi8OpqA
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) July 14, 2019
When I call the president a racist, this is what I'm talking about
We must stand together for justice and dignity towards all. https://t.co/lweeJk7NoF
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 14, 2019
Movie director Ava DuVernay also offered full solidarity against the ‘racist-in-chief’:
https://twitter.com/ava/status/1150460584191639557
One congressman – whose father was born in Ireland – pointed out how blatant Trump is with whom he does/doesn’t single out:
Like some of my Democratic colleagues, I’m young, from an immigrant family, also very critical of Trump. Funny thing though, he never tells me to “go back where I come from.” Hmm I wonder why? 🤔 https://t.co/wdzsKG3Ptm
— US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) July 14, 2019
Trump’s words led #TrumpIsARacist to trend on Twitter. This prompted many people to post tweets similar to this one:
https://twitter.com/uwuitsemily/status/1150471743309602821
Some argued that several prominent people still haven’t fully woken up to what Trump is, though:
It’s important that we hold Donald Trump accountable for his most recent racist attack on congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and others.
While doing so, we also need to discuss how Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi are inherently helping Trump. #RacistInChief #TrumpIsARacist pic.twitter.com/JPWN2XY3Q5
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) July 14, 2019
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi drew criticism recently for repeatedly criticising the same four women Trump just attacked. On 12 July, Arwa Mahdawi wrote for the Guardian:
America is becoming an increasingly hostile place for women and for people of color. Pelosi’s constant public attacks against the four newly elected women of color aren’t just disrespectful, they’re dangerous… As America grows increasingly brazen in its bigotry, Pelosi should be aggressively standing up for her freshman colleagues, not trying to tear them down. So why isn’t she?
Well, to put it bluntly, I think it’s because she’s terrified of what her progressive colleagues represent. The Squad doesn’t just consist of four people, as Pelosi condescendingly told the Times; it represents the face of a new America. It represents a challenge to the traditional power structure. That doesn’t just scare bigots like [Fox News presenter] Tucker Carlson, it scares the neoliberal establishment.
Trump’s tweet tirade actually recognised that Pelosi also has an issue with the four congresswomen:
….it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
Pelosi has since criticised Trump’s comments:
I reject @realDonaldTrump’s xenophobic comments meant to divide our nation. Rather than attack Members of Congress, he should work with us for humane immigration policy that reflects American values. Stop the raids – #FamiliesBelongTogether!
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 14, 2019
But her defence of the women rang hollow with some:
Make no mistake: Nancy Pelosi’s dogwhistling snipes at @AOC, Ilhan Omar, @RashidaTlaib and @RepPressley helped pave the way for this vicious, racist attack from the president. https://t.co/zdvpo23gtr
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) July 14, 2019
Wider issues
As the congresswomen themselves pointed out, Trump isn’t just saying racist things – he’s actively overseeing racist policy. This video shows the horrendous conditions that detained people are facing as a result of Trumpian border politics:
-no showers for over 40 days.
-lights kept on all night & people sleep on concrete floors.
-complaining of hunger ~ Rep. Jim McGovernOur brothers. Look at them. Look at how they are begging for help. Putting their hands together "please help us" 😭
THIS IS NOT OK!
RETWEET 💔 pic.twitter.com/f3bs0qFokn
— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) July 14, 2019
This video shows the attitude of vice president Mike Pence towards a similar detainment facility:
This image will go down in history. New video shows shows Mike Pence callously observing and turning his back on severe overcrowding of men in cages at a detainment facility in Texas.
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 13, 2019
There’s also a question of how British politicians will react to Trump’s latest instance of open bigotry. Channel 4‘s Krishnan Guru-Murthy had this to say:
I’d like to know whether @BorisJohnson thinks this is racist pic.twitter.com/Cd6J7yjO7h
— Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) July 15, 2019
Solidarity
Indulging in this sort of racist and ignorant language is nothing new for Trump. The longer he remains in his position, however, the more it becomes normalised. That means standing in solidarity both with the committed congresswomen and with people of colour who have to deal with the real-life impacts of Trump’s actions.
Featured image via Kristie Boyd – Wikimedia / GPA Photo Archive – Flickr / US House of Representatives – Wikimedia
