The heated social media exchanges between President Donald Trump and members of “The Squad” have remained constant, but Rep. Rashida Tlaib struck a blow in a Sunday interview published by The Guardian in which she had a simple explanation for the president’s attacks.
“It’s been very clear to me, especially this last week, that he’s scared of us,” Tlaib said, referencing their latest tussle in which Trump tweeted that Israel would “show great weakness” if the country allowed Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar — two Muslim American lawmakers — entry into the country for a planned trip.
The Israeli government seemingly followed Trump’s lead and denied the two representatives entry, but later backed down and approved Tlaib’s visit on humanitarian grounds, which she rejected a day later.
Tlaib explained to The Guardian that Trump’s attacks on her, Omar, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley — the four women who make up The Squad — were due to his fear of their willingness to fight back and because they have “real agenda” for the American people.
“He’s afraid of women of color … because we’re not afraid of him and we’re not afraid to speak up and say that we have a white supremacist in the White House who has a hate agenda,” Tlaib said.
She went on to explain that Trump chose to attack the four lawmakers as a distraction tactic because he has “failed as a president” and because of the growing number of people living in poverty in America.
“He’s afraid of women of color … because we’re not afraid of him and we’re not afraid to speak up and say that we have a white supremacist in the White House who has a hate agenda.” https://t.co/yQg39lsddZ
— The Hill (@thehill) August 24, 2019
Last month, Trump sparked a firestorm that grabbed the attention of top Democrats after he said that the four women should “go back” to where they came from. The edged attack was widely condemned as “racist” by Democrats and some Republicans.
That tweet attack also triggered the passing of a resolution officially condemning his remarks by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, in a 240-187 vote, according to The Wall Street Journal .
Trump has also pushed the idea in several tweets that the members of The Squad are the “new face” of the Democratic party, presumably as a political tactic to force the party to recognize the four progressive lawmakers as the new leaders of the party in an attempt to dissuade moderate Americans from voting for Democrats in 2020.
Tlaib reassured The Guardian that her primary political goals don’t involve attacking the president, rather, she would prefer to shed light on important issues facing the Michigan district she represents. Her district, which includes some of Detroit, Michigan, is the third-poorest in the entire country.
She currently enjoys a 76 percent approval rating from her constituents in the 13th district.
