When asked about his response to the fallout that ensued after Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) opted to not visit Israel despite finally getting permission from the Israeli government to do so Friday, President Donald Trump didn’t mince words during an Oval Office pool spray Tuesday.
Trump first went after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for being a “disaster” to Jewish people.
“I can’t imagine if [Omar] has any Jewish people in her district that they could possibly vote for,” Trump said.
He then tore into Tlaib’s tearful press conference upon announcing her decision to reject Israel’s terms of her visit.
“All of a sudden, I see this person who is crying because she can’t see her grandmother. She could, but she didn’t want to do it,” Trump said. “A lot of people were saying that was my decision. That’s a decision of Israel. They could let them in if they want, but I don’t think they want to.”
Trump doubled down by referring to comments that Omar and Tlaib had said about Israel.
“If you look at their itinerary before they found out, you take a look at their itinerary, it was all going to be a propaganda against Israel,” Trump said. “So I don’t blame Israel for doing what they did. They had nothing to do with it, but I don’t blame them for doing what they did.”
Trump stated that cutting off aid to Israel “because of two people that hate Israel and hate Jewish people” wasn’t an option.
“I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. Where has the Democratic Party gone? Where have they gone where they are defending these two people over the state of Israel?” Trump said. “I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”
Watch Trump’s remarks below:
Trump on Omar/Tlaib: "I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty." pic.twitter.com/CnSk6xhvdN
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 20, 2019
