The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution officially condemning President Donald Trump's racist comments against four minority Democratic congresswomen.
The resolution passed on Tuesday denounces Trump for his "racist comments that have legitimized fear and hatred of New Americans and people of color."
Referring to Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib Michigan and Ayanna Pressley Massachusetts, Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday, “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
....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
Three of the four Representatives were born in the United States, but all are US citizens. Omar, a Muslim congresswoman, was born in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu and immigrated to the US as a refugee.
Speaking on the House floor prior to Tuesday vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged both Democratic and Republican lawmakers to "join us in condemning the president's racist tweets.”
"To do anything less would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office to protect the American people."
Meanwhile, a growing number of Republicans, after initial hesitation, began to openly criticize Trump.
Texas Representative Will Hurd, for example, described Trump’s tweets as “racist and xenophobic” and “unbecoming of the leader of the free world.” Also, after one Ohio Representative, Mike Turner, called Trump’s words “racist,” four other Republicans from the same US state joined him in condemning the comments.
Nonetheless, some other Republicans continued to support Trump, with Representative Dan Meuser, Republican of Pennsylvania saying, “What has really happened here is that the president and his supporters have been forced to endure months of allegations of racism.”
“This ridiculous slander does a disservice to our nation,” Meuser said.
Trump, in response to the vote, said on Twitter that “those Tweets were NOT Racist,” adding, “I don't have a Racist bone in my body!"
Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body! The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show “weakness” and fall into their trap. This should be a vote on the filthy language, statements and lies told by the Democrat.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2019