>> Donald Trump is facing some heat today, not from the GOP, but from others regarding
his statements on Twitter in regard to freshman Democrats.
He had initially tweeted 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, I kinda agree with him here.
If they even have a functioning government at all.
Now, let me pause and just say, three out of the four freshmen democrats were born here
in the United States.
Which is why I kind of agree with Trump, especially when it comes to corruption, but, of course,
that's not what he meant.
He continues to tweet, now loudly 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 the totally broken and crime infested places from which
they came, so, Washington?
Okay, then come back and show us how it is done.
These places need your help badly, you can't leave fast enough.
I'm sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!
Now, that reference to Nancy Pelosi kind of speaks to the infighting within the Democratic
Party.
Pelosi has been at battle with freshman Democrats.
In fact, she's been fighting them more aggressively than she's been fighting Donald Trump, which
really tells you something.
But nonetheless, he did get a lot of backlash from members of the left, certainly not from
the right.
The GOP has been defending him over and over again in regard to what he had to say, but
I wanted to open this up to you guys, any takes on these tweets?
>> He is really pandering to his audience, to his community, to his constituents, and
creating this us them persona.
As well as really reinforcing these ethnocentric ideologies that people from other countries.
Or that people who look a certain way, that they're somehow deficient.
And also really just pushing that trope that anybody who is brown, or of a different color,
in the United States, is it from here?
Or they should not be here or there is some otherness about them that makes them problematic?
And it is really old and it is unfortunate but the reality is that it works because there
are so many ignorant people out there.
And when we kinda get that ethnocentric vibe by virtually saying this is the greatest nation
and most wonderful nation in the world, when we have considerable issues as you pointed
out, Ana.
>> It did make a lot of people remember the whole birther conspiracy that Trump helped
to push in response to President Obama's election and it's absolutely true.
I mean, why was Obama the one President who had his citizenship questioned?
His place of birth question, it had to do with the color of his skin, yeah?
>> I think two things, number one, right before he says go back to where you came from he
says, how dare these people tell us how to run our government.
They're in our government, they were elected duly by their own representatives.
And what you're seeing here is not just the demonization of, obviously, people of color
and people of different races.
But a demonization of Democrats, really, as illegitimate as not legitimate enough to lead
the country.
And actually have a say in policy, despite having every right, every much democratic
legitimacy as everyone else.
And the other thing, and I think we kinda touched on this at the beginning.
Is that Pelosi's squabbling with these four members, it paved for the this in many ways.
>> He was applauded late last Friday after he released a statement defending Pelosi against
these freshman Democrats.
And of course, when we say freshman Democrats, we're referring to Representative Ocasio-Cortez,
Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley.
And then he decided to go even further with these tweets.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah, I had a chance to talk with Congresswoman Talib over the weekend.
And she was what she was saying is the bickering isn't coming from us, it's not coming from
the squad.
We're working, we're highlighting and uplifting what's happening down at the border, that
is our number one priority.
It's this, the leadership that is doing this sort of one sided squabbling.
And now this tension now feeds into Trump, going full on racist about this situation.
>> In his first tweet, he references corruption and I found that so fascinating.
Because a lot of the backlash that Trump has been dealing with from progressive members
of the Democratic Party, has to do with these detention centers.
These detention facilities where migrants have been getting incredibly sick.
At least two dozen people have died in US custody as a result of these terrible unsanitary
conditions.
And I bring up that first mention of corruption in this tweet, because this is where you are
looking at right now this image is the face of corruption.
I mean the amount of money we've given private companies that run these facilities is out
of control.
Just to give you an idea, this is according to reporting from NBC News.
Private prison firm GEO Group has reportedly made $500 million for migrant detention centers
since Trump's zero tolerance policy began.
And that's just one then they're Southwest Key, which did receive government contracts
under Obama, but also under Trump as well.
Between 2015 and 2018 $955 million in federal contracts we're spending $775 per day per
migrant at these detention facilities.
And we see the conditions that they're kept in, they're not using that money to actually
improve the living conditions of these individuals.
In fact, they're using this to pad their pockets and I think it's abundantly clear here.
But with that said, I do wanna just go to what Ayana Presley had to say in response
to these tweets, because you're absolutely right, David.
What we see from my own is very similar to the statements that Rashida Tlaib gave you.
This is what racism looks like.
We are what democracy looks like.
And we're not going anywhere.
Except back to DC to fight for the families you marginalize and vilify everyday.
Now how has Trump responded to the backlash?
Well, let's take a look at his press conference.
>> What were you talking about in your tweet about going back?
>> Well, I didn't mention names and I didn't do that.
If you're not happy here, then you can leave.
As far as I'm concerned, if you hate our country, if you're not happy here, you can leave and
that's what I say all the time.
That's what I said in a tweet which I guess some people think is controversial.
A lot of people love it by the way, a lot of people love it.
But if you're not happy in the US, if you're complaining all the time very simply you can
leave you can leave right now.
Come back if you want, don't come back, it's okay to but if you're not happy you can leave.
>> Well, they're very unhappy, I'm watching them, all they do is complain.
So all I'm saying is that if they want to leave, they can leave, John, they can leave.
I mean I look at the one, I look at Omar, I don't know, I've never met her.
I hear the way she talks about Al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda has killed many Americans.
These are people that in my opinion hate our country.
Now you can say what you want, but get a list of all of the statements they've made.
And all I'm saying that if they're not happy here, they can leave, they can leave, and
you know what?
I'm sure that there will be many people that you will miss them, but they have to love
our country.
They are congress people and I never used any names but this are people, quiet, quiet,
quiet, quiet, quiet.
These are people that if they don't like it here, they can leave.
And I'd be, I don't know who's gonna miss him but I guess some people will.
>> So he's essentially doubling down, leave and go where?
Three of them were born here in the United States, and Representative Omar is a US citizen.
>> And the thing is when he says, if you don't like it, you can leave.
That's totally counterproductive to actually being an American and making your country
better.
Because if you don't like it and actually run for office and you get elected, that's
how you make change.
And so being a part of that it's really important, but something I'd really like to hit on as
well is that there's no coincidence.
There's a reason that he's attacking four women of color who are new in the political
sector as freshmen Democrats, it's just been a book riding on this.
It's just sex based discrimination to make them feel like they can't have their voice
and use it in the process.
And so pretending that they can't be there, and that their voices aren't legitimate.
And essentially harassing them out of speaking up, is what he's looking to do.
And unfortunately, a lot of people are playing into that, fortunately, they are strong enough
and they're pushing back.
>> I mean love it or leave it, that's a pretty common right thing that we've heard.
>> From the most ignorant people imaginable.
>> From the most ignorant people on Earth from going back decades, but there are plenty
of white male Democrats who won in 2018.
And are just as belligerent in terms of policy towards Donald Trump, that he's picking out
four women of color to be the locus of this love it or leave it statement.
>> I think there is a reason for that though.
>> I think there is a big reason.
>> Yeah, yeah.
>> Well, a reason other than- >> He's a racist.
>> Was discussed, that's obvious but there is a common characteristic among these freshman
Democrats that does rub Trump the wrong way.
And AOC laid it out perfectly in her tweets, so I want to share that with you.
Mr. President the country I came from and the country we all swear to is the United
States.
But given how you've destroyed our border with inhumane camps, all at a benefit to you
and the corporations who profit off them.
You're absolutely right about the corruption laid at your feet and then this was my favorite
part.
Okay, she says but you know what's the rub of it all Mr. President?
On top of not accepting an America that elected us, you cannot accept that we don't fear you
either.
Okay, that's it, boom, I know that that rubs him the wrong way.
Because you have these strong women who are principled, they're incorruptible.
They're not there because they're interested in having this lifelong career in politics.
They were encouraged to run because of what America has become, under Trump's watch.
Under previous administrations where Obama didn't deliver on a number of things he should
have delivered on, especially, when it came to some of the system racism in the country.
And so all of a sudden you have people who are fighting him from a very genuine and principled
place, and they're not fearful and he can't stand it.
>> Yep, and also fighting him from a lower place on the social power totem pole, where
they're not going to back down.
Essentially, they're not going to know their place, they are going to speak up and push
back.
>> Yeah.
>> And so, he's trying to hit them with hostility, all sorts of things to say, stay in your place,
know your place.
And the reality is, it's like this and they're not gonna let it become that.
And so I love that these women are speaking up and pushing back and saying, we have every
right to be here, and to have our voice, to own it and use it.
>> Exactly.
>> I saw Representative Omar speak actually over the weekend.
And one of the things she said was, it's hard for those in power to make room for those
who challenge power.
And she was talking about a lot of people with that statement not just Trump, but maybe
speaker Pelosi, but I think it was pretty profound.
One thing that was amazing about that press conference that that we didn't see there is
that he started talking about AOC.
And he specifically started talking about the Amazon HQ2 situation in Long Island City,
Queens, right?
And he said, well, she she kicked Amazon out of out of New York City and I was terrible
for New York City, this is Trump speaking now.
Trump has spent two years talking about the Amazon, Washington Post, how Jeff Bezos is
a terrible person.
>> Yes.
>> And then all of a sudden when he's challenged by a Hispanic woman, a woman of color.
He gets the back of Amazon and their right to take $6 billion or however much it was
out of New York City, just for the privilege of them putting a headquarters there.
>> Right.
>> So it just showed that that entire fake fight was just a total fraud on the part of
Trump.
And his real fight is against people's color, against women, and so on.
>> Absolutely, I think it makes sense to have a longer discussion, unfortunately we can't
do it right now.
But I want to have a longer discussion about electoral and political strategy.
Because what you just mentioned is one example of how Trump fights dirty, and is it principled?
So if you're a principled lawmaker, and you want to fight Trump, how do you do it effectively
knowing he doesn't really have a strategy.
He doesn't have any limits or boundaries, he's willing to do or say anything.
Or change his story at the drop of a hat, just to suit whatever agenda he has at that
very moment.
And that's a very difficult thing for certainly career politicians to deal with cuz they're
not used to it.
But also for progressives who have gotten elected into Congress and do want to fight
him, but maybe don't know the best strategy in which to do so.
One final thing I do want to add though is Nancy Pelosi did come out and say that she's
the Defending the freshman Democrats.
Which is important given the infighting that's been happening in the Democratic Party.
She said our caucus will continue to forcefully respond to these disgusting attacks.
The House cannot allow the President's characterization of immigrants to our country stand.
And I also want to note that the house is planning on voting on a resolution to condemn
Trump's statements as racist.
Okay great, it makes sense, if they were certainly in a rush to do that when it came to Representative
Ilhan Omar, and what she had to say about the Israeli government.
So I would assume that they would want to do this when it comes to Trump because his
statements were clearly and blatantly racist, there's no question about it.