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Trump steps up attack on 'US-hating' congresswomen | Trump steps up attack on 'US-hating' congresswomen |
(32 minutes later) | |
US President Donald Trump has redoubled his attack on four Democratic congresswomen, accusing them of "hating our country". | US President Donald Trump has redoubled his attack on four Democratic congresswomen, accusing them of "hating our country". |
"If you are not happy, if you are complaining all the time, you can leave," he told a heated news conference outside the White House. | "If you are not happy, if you are complaining all the time, you can leave," he told a heated news conference outside the White House. |
On Sunday Mr Trump called on the women, who are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, to "go back". | On Sunday Mr Trump called on the women, who are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, to "go back". |
He was widely accused of racism and xenophobia, which he denied. | He was widely accused of racism and xenophobia, which he denied. |
"These are people that in my opinion hate our country," President Trump told reporters. | "These are people that in my opinion hate our country," President Trump told reporters. |
"As far as I'm concerned if you hate our country, if you're not happy here, you can leave. You can leave right now. I don't know who's going to miss 'em," he said, to applause from some in the audience. | |
Asked by a reporter if he was concerned that his tweets had been seen by some as racist, Mr Trump said he was not. | |
"It doesn't concern me because many people agree with me," he added. | |
Mr Trump sparked a furore in Sunday's series of tweets in which he said the women "originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe". | |
He did not explicitly name the women, but the context made a clear link. | |
The four - US-born Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar, who came to the US as a refugee aged 12 - all called the president racist and were backed by members of the Democratic Party. | |
Ms Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx in New York, about 12 miles away from the Queens hospital where Mr Trump was born. | |
Despite criticism, President Trump launched another Twitter tirade on Monday morning, calling on the women themselves to apologise. | Despite criticism, President Trump launched another Twitter tirade on Monday morning, calling on the women themselves to apologise. |