Trump tells Democratic congresswomen of color to "go back" to their countries

The US president told Democratic congresswomen of color to go back to where they came from. Three of the women he targeted were born and raised in the United States.

Democratic lawmakers have united in condemning US President Donald Trump as racist after he said that a group of progressive congresswomen should go back to the "crime infested places from which they came."

Although Trump didn't name who he was targeting, his message was almost certainly directed at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib — a band of recently elected Democrats known for their vocal opposition to Trump's policies.

So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly......

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019

....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

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful Democrat in the lower chamber of Congress, said on Twitter that the comment "reaffirms" that Trump "has always been about making America white again."

Ocasio-Cortez said she was from the United States and swore allegiance to the country, adding that the president could not "conceive of an America that includes us."

Omar, Pressley and Tlaib and dozens of other Democratic lawmakers, senior party figures and presidential candidates also denounced the comment as racist and xenophobic in separate tweets.

Republican lawmakers remained mostly silent.