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AOC responds to Trump’s racist attacks: ‘You cannot accept that we don’t fear you’

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday sharply criticized President Donald Trump for implying that she and other freshman House Democrats were not natural-born American citizens,saying the President is “angry because (he) can’t conceive of an America that includes us.”

In a series of tweets, Ocasio-Cortez took aim at Trump, who earlier Sunday wrote in a tirade on Twitter that she and other freshman House Democrats weren’t born in America and sarcastically suggested, “they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” Although Trump’s tweets didn’t include the names of the congresswomen, he referenced the New York Democrat earlier last week when defending House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, adding in another message that the country she “come(s) from” is the United States.

“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. You can’t accept that we will call your bluff & offer a positive vision for this country. And that’s what makes you seethe,” she wrote.

A group of Democrats, who are women of color and have been outspoken about Trump’s immigration policies, were among those who last weekcondemned the conditions of border detention facilities. Some also testified last week in front of a House Oversight and Reform committee hearing, explaining what they saw during their tour of the facilities housing migrants amid a border crisis.

Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts were among the group of House Democrats who recently condemned the conditions.

Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Pressley are natural-born US citizens, while Omar was born in Somalia and immigrated to the US when she was young. Omar became a citizen in 2000 when she was 17 years old, according to the New York Times.

Following Trump’s Sunday attacks, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, defended the congresswomen and condemned him. “When ⁦‪@realDonaldTrump⁩ tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to “Make America Great Again” has always been about making America white again,” Pelosi tweeted. “Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power.”

Pelosi and this group of freshmen lawmakers have been embroiled in a disputeover the last couple weeks, although Pelosi called for unity recently among House Democrats.