Justin Amash Blasts Donald Trump’s ‘Racist And Disgusting’ Tweet At Progressive Lawmakers
On Sunday, President Donald Trump made a veiled and controversial attack on Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ayanna Pressley — all congresswomen of color — for voting against the House version of the border bill by telling them to go back to their “original” countries. Although Trump didn’t mention the women by name, the comment has been perceived as an attack on the congresswomen following tensions between them and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Trump’s controversial comment has generated backlash for its racial undertones, with some calling it racist. Per The Hill, Michigan Representative and former Republican Justin Amash is one such person and took to Twitter Sunday to blast the president for his comments.
“To tell these American citizens (most of whom were born here) to ‘go back’ to the ‘crime infested places from which they came’ is racist and disgusting,” Amash tweeted.
Pelosi also criticized Trump’s remarks, calling them “xenophobic” and suggesting that Trump’s goal is to make America white again — a reference to his “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
Amash, the son of a Palestinian refugee, was the first Republican to call for Trump’s impeachment. But he claims that his decision to leave the party happened before former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which shone a light on Trump’s behavior during the investigation into Russian interference.
Justin Amash rips Trump over "racist and disgusting" tweet telling progressive Dems to go back where they came from https://t.co/XFhAKHrY7f pic.twitter.com/aaEaoxfwkg
— The Hill (@thehill) July 14, 2019
“I always felt like there was an opportunity to turn things around within the party, and over the last several months it’s become clear to me that that’s not really possible,” Amash said in an interview with The Detroit News.
“How many years are you going to try to change the system from within before you realize you have to try a different way?” he asked. “So this was the time to do it. You just have to try something else.”
As for Amash’s next move, he still hasn’t ruled out a 2020 presidential run as a Libertarian or independent. Per The Inquisitr, Amash said during a CNN’s State of the Union interview with Jake Tapper that a presidential run is a possibility, but claims that he still feels confident about running in his district thanks to a close bond with his community. He claims that this connection still fuels his drive to represent his constituents in Congress.
When Tapper pressed Amash for a timeline for deciding whether or not to make a presidential run, the Michigan Representative declined to give one because he says it isn’t presently on his radar.
