Ocasio-Cortez fires back at Trump’s criticism of her, other Democrats’ patriotism
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded on Sunday to President Trump’s criticism of the patriotism of her and three other Democratic congresswomen, saying the group will continue to fight for health care and basic human rights for all citizens.
“We fight to guarantee: - healthcare - public college & student loan forgiveness - enviro protections - living wages - basic human rights,” she wrote in a tweet. “We don’t take a dime of corporate money, either. You: - Jack up drug prices - Appoint Betsy DeVos to scam student loans - Hurt immigrant kids.”
Cortez was responding to a tweet the president wrote earlier Sunday, in which he called on the congresswomen – which also includes Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts – to “apologize to America” and Israel.
“I don’t believe the four Congresswomen are capable of loving our Country,” Trump tweeted. “They should apologize to America (and Israel) for the horrible (hateful) things they have said. They are destroying the Democrat Party, but are weak & insecure people who can never destroy our great Nation!”
Trump and the four congresswomen feuded publicly over the past week after the group, known informally as “The Squad,” were critical of some of the Trump administration’s policies, including immigration.
In response to their disapproval, the president said in a tweet that the group should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” Three of the four congresswomen were born in the U.S.; Omar is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Somalia.
The comments from Trump prompted the House of Representatives to vote on Tuesday to condemn what Democrats deemed racist tweets.
At a campaign rally in North Carolina last week, Trump stood silent as his crowd of supporters chanted “send her back!” for 13 seconds, but disavowed the following day what happened at the event.