Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib held a news conference this afternoon to address Donald Trump's continued racist attacks against them. Each emphasized that Trump's attacks on them were intended to distract from his own actions, especially his administration's cruel and inhumane treatment toward asylum-seekers at the southern border.
Rep. Pressley called Trump's outburst "a disruptive distraction from the issues of care, concern and consequence to the American people," emphasizing "we are viscerally, vigorously and fundamentally opposed" to Trump's deportations of families seeking the legal right of asylum. Rep. Omar continued those condemnations: "We have to take action when a president is openly violating the oath he took to the United States and the core values we aspire to."
Rep. Omar cited "mass deportation raids across this country," the current administration "committing human rights abuses at the border, keeping humans in cages," and reminded people that Trump has been "credibly accused of multiple crimes."
"It is time to impeach this president," Omar continued.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed Trump's ranting: "I am not surprised that he uses the rhetoric that he does when he violates" international human rights." "All of this is a distraction" from following "our core values as American citizens," she said
Rep. Tlaib also dismissed Trump's attacks: "We cannot allow these hateful actions" by Trump to distract from the "illegal, horrific conditions" in the border detention centers. "We know this is who he is," but "we remain focused on holding him accountable to the laws of this land." Tlaib also called for impeachment proceedings to begin.
Trump "is, if nothing else, predictable," Pressley followed up. "What we are focused on [is] his hateful policies."
As to Trump's specific call for the congresswomen to "go back" to other countries, Rep. Omar noted that "every single person who's brown or black" in this country has at some point heard such language.
Donald Trump, for his part, continues to rant on Twitter, repeating his attacks in increasingly spittle-flecked new posts. He continues to be supported by Republican lawmakers, because the party now contains nothing but cowards.