Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) took a passive-aggressive jab at President Donald Trump while visiting Africa with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
“They said ‘send her back’ but Speaker @SpeakerPelosi didn’t just make arrangements to send me back, she went back with me,” Omar said.
Referencing Trump’s controversial “go back” tweets, Omar shared a photo of Pelosi and herself in Ghana. The two Democrats, who were feuding before Trump’s tweets united them, smiled and walked hand in hand through the Door of No Return, a memorial to the slave trade.
Democrat drama
Omar was at odds with Pelosi last month after the Speaker snubbed the first-term Democrat and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), the group of leftist lawmakers who described themselves as the “squad.” Ocasio-Cortez accused Pelosi of singling out the four progressive Democrats, who had been in a power struggle with Pelosi since coming to Congress in January, over their race.
But Pelosi and the “squad” seem to be burying the hatchet after the “go back” controversy. Trump suggested that the four women, who are U.S. citizens, should “go back” and fix their home countries instead of criticizing America. He joked, “I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”
Omar made sure to snub Trump while visiting Africa with Pelosi and the Congressional Black Caucus, saying Pelosi “didn’t just make arrangements to send me back, she went back with me.”
The Democrats commemorated the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade with a visit to the famous Door of No Return, the last door through which slaves passed on the journey to America.
“So grateful for the honor to return to Mother Africa with the @TheBlackCaucus and commemorate The Year of Return! #Doorofreturn #Ghana,” Omar tweeted Thursday.
Pelosi, “squad” make up
As Trump and Omar continued to trade barbs, Omar accused Trump of “inherent racism,” as Trump fired back that Omar’s divisive rhetoric would help him win re-election. Omar penned a New York Times op-ed last week calling on all Americans to resist the president.
Trump ally Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) recently suggested buying a plane ticket for Omar to go visit Somalia so she can learn to “appreciate America more.” Omar fired back by sharing a tweet that made light of a violent assault against Paul. The Republican senator was left with shattered ribs after a disgruntled neighbor attacked him unexpectedly last years.
The Trump-squad feud expanded when Trump attacked Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who had berated Trump’s immigration officials over the border crisis, calling Cummings’ district “disgusting, rat and rodent-infested” in a tweet storm last weekend. The tweets further enflamed controversy and rallied Democrats behind Cummings and his native Baltimore.
Last week, Pelosi said that there was “never any hatchet to bury” after a meeting with Ocasio-Cortez. “I don’t think there ever was any hatchet. We’re in a political arena,” Pelosi said.
No comments: