Warriors coach Steve Kerr tells Congress to call out Trump's 'racist tweets'

Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr speaks at the End-of-Season press conference on Friday, June 14, 2019, in Oakland, CA. Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr speaks at the End-of-Season press conference on Friday, June 14, 2019, in Oakland, CA. Photo: Paul Kuroda / Special To The Chronicle Photo: Paul Kuroda / Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Warriors coach Steve Kerr tells Congress to call out Trump's 'racist tweets' 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

President Trump’s Sunday morning tweets directed at four minority congresswomen, saying they should “go back” to their countries even though three of them were born in the U.S., were met with a loud silence from Republicans in Washington. Which didn’t go unheard by Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Kerr, a vocal Trump critic, fired back at the president Sunday night with a tweet imploring Congress to react: “Come on members of Congress, call out the president for his racist tweets this morning. Show some leadership. It’s the job you were elected to do.”

Come on members of Congress, call out the president for his racist tweets this morning. Show some leadership. It’s the job you were elected to do. — Steve Kerr (@SteveKerr) July 15, 2019

Kerr retweeted others who condemned Trump on Sunday, including a writer for The Atlantic who called Trump a white nationalist. He also tweeted a picture of the 2018 book “How Democracies Die,” which singles out Trump’s authoritarian tendencies. “Add this to your summer reading list,” Kerr said in the tweet.

Trump used a common trope among racists to attack the four women of color – congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

“Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” Trump’s tweet said. “Then come back and show us how it is done.”

Of the four, only Omar was born in another country (Somalia), and she became a US citizen as a teenager.

The Washington Post reported that by Sunday night, at least 90 House Democrats and newly independent congressman Justin Amash had denounced Trump’s comments, with more than half of them using the words “racist” or “racism.” But Republicans would not go on the record.

The New York Times reported Sunday night that no White House officials or Republicans in Congress would respond to requests for comment.

Kerr has spoken up on Trump and other political issues before. During last season’s NBA Finals he wore a “vote for our lives” shirt to advocate for gun control after the mass shooting in Virginia Beach, Va. Kerr and the rest of the Warriors also refused to meet with Trump after winning the league championship the previous two seasons.

Greg Keraghosian is an SFGATE homepage editor. Email: greg.keraghosian@sfgate.com