Trump remains defiant after twitter outburst against Congresswomen
Donald Trump doubled down on his attacks against four minority U.S. congresswomen and dismissed concerns that his comments were racist.
It's prompted outrage from Democrats, who moved to condemn him in the House of Representatives.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said people he described as critical of the United States should leave the country.
Those remarks followed his Twitter messages on Sunday that said the four left-wing lawmakers, known in Congress as "the squad," should go back to "the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."
All four of the first-term House members are U.S. citizens and all but one were born in the United States.
"If you're not happy in the U.S., if you're complaining all the time, very simply: You can leave," he said, drawing scattered applause from a crowd of businesspeople.
Asked if he was concerned that some viewed his remarks as racist and that white supremacists found common cause with him, Trump said he was not. "It doesn't concern me because many people agree with me," Trump said.
The president's remarks were widely derided and some, though not many, of his fellow Republicans spoke out against them.
Trump did not identify the lawmakers by name in his Sunday tweets, but he appeared to refer to representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
All four have been critical of Trump, as well as of the current Democratic leaders of the House, straining party unity in that chamber.
Published: by Radio NewsHub