Omar Accuses Trump of Racism, Islamophobia: ‘This Is the Agenda of White Nationalists’

From left, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-C
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Hannah Knudsen

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) held a press conference with members of the far-left Squad to respond to what the left claims are “racist” attacks from President Trump.

Trump suggested the freshman Democrats should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came” if they are so unhappy with the United States.

The press conference devolved into a bashing session against Trump’s policies, with Omar citing Trump’s purported Islamophobia and asserting that he is perpetuating “the agenda of white nationalists.”

“He would love nothing more than to divide our country based on race, religion, gender, orientation, or immigration status, because this is the only way he knows he can prevent the solidarity of us working together,” Omar stated at the Monday afternoon press conference:

“This is the agenda of white nationalists, whether it’s happening in chat rooms, or it’s happening on national TV—and now it’s reached the White House garden,” she continued:

She also claimed that Trump’s remark was racist in nature and brought “Islamophobia” to the forefront.

She continued:

Now when he made the comment, I know that every single Muslim who has lived in this country and across the world has heard that comment. And so I will not dignify it with an answer, because I know that every single Islamophobe, every single person who is hateful, who is driven by an ideology of othering as this president is, rejoices in us responding to that, and that’s defending ourselves.

Trump, she added, is a hypocrite for criticizing their socialist ideas.

She said:

Now when people say if you say a negative thing about the policies in this country you hate this country, to me it sort of speaks to the hypocrisy Alex and I were talking about. When this president ran and until today, he talked about everything that was wrong in this country, and how he was going to make it great. And so for him to condemn us and to say that we are un-American for wanting to work hard to make this country be the country we all deserve to live in? Complete hypocrisy.

Omar also claimed that the Squad’s critiques of the U.S. come from a place of “extreme love.”

The Minnesota congresswoman has been under fire over the past few months for a flurry of antisemitic remarks. In April, she downplayed the 9/11 terrorist attack, describing the event by saying, “some people did something.”

Trump took direct aim at Omar during a “Made in America” event Monday, prior to the Squad’s press conference.

“Somebody that comes from Somalia, which is a failed government, a failed state, who left Somalia and ultimately came here and now is a congresswoman, is never happy,” the president said.

He added that she “says horrible things about Israel, hates Israel, hates Jews, hates Jews, it’s very simple.”

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.