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On Sunday, President Donald Trump was criticised by members on both the left and right for a series of 'racist' tweets aimed at four congresswomen of colour.

While the women were not explicitly named, Trump blasted “‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen” and outlets including CNN and BBC have identified the individuals as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib.

In the tweets, Trump used racist rhetoric and told them to “go back” to the “crime infested places” that they “originally came from”. The congresswomen, who have been nicknamed "the squad", are all American citizens and three of them were born in the United States.

Since then, politicians, celebrities and leaders around the world have criticised Trump. The list includes the likes of Republican former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mitt Romney as well as A-listers like Janelle Monae, Karamo Brown and real life Captain America Chris Evans on Twitter.

How did Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib respond?

The day after Trump’s tweets were published, all four women held a news conference where they responded to his comments.

Calling Trump’s tweets an effort to “marginalise and to silence us”, Pressley continued that they were committed to “building a more equitable and just world”. She also called for Americans "to not take the bait" and said it was a "disruptive distraction from the issues of care, concern and consequence to the American people".

Omar called Trump’s statements a “blatantly racist attack” and Tlaib added that it was “simply continuation of his racist, xenophobic playbook”.

Cortez also addressed the American people in a moving speech, saying, “The first note that I want to tell children across the country is that no matter what the president says, this country belongs to you. And it belongs to everyone. And today that very notion was challenged. This weekend that very notion was challenged.”

She also continued, “We don’t leave the things that we love. And when we love this country, what that means is that we propose the solutions to fix it.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also criticised Trump, writing, “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. Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power.”

Trump’s tweets have remained published and he has since doubled down on them, claiming they were “NOT Racist”. He wrote, “I don’t have a Racist bone in my body! The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show “weakness” and fall into their trap.”

He continued in another tweet, “This should be a vote on the filthy language, statements and lies told by the Democrat Congresswomen, who I truly believe, based on their actions, hate our Country. Get a list of the HORRIBLE things they have said. Omar is polling at 8%, Cortez at 21%. Nancy Pelosi tried to push them away, but now they are forever wedded to the Democrat Party. See you in 2020!”

Which celebrities have responded?

Janelle Monae

Monae came out swinging on Sunday following Trump’s tweets, retweeting Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s response to the situation. Monae called on Pelosi to propose impeaching Donald Trump and said, “I’m dead ass convinced this idiot racist could kill someone on Twitter live in the WH west wing & u guys would be like “when he kills someone he reaffirms his message of division. We have to work together to reflect BLAH’ CALL 4 IMPEACHMENT Speaker Pelosi🗣Stop dragging this OUT”

She also blasted Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera who called himself a “friend of @realDonaldTrump”, saying that he was “an enabler and not a good friend actually”. Rivera, who said Trump had taken the “low road” and had used “language that’s xenophobic even racist”, was criticised by Monae who tweeted, “STOP saying “you’re better than that” when you know its not true . HE HAS BEEN AN XENOPHOBIC RACIST . it is EXACTLY who he was and has always been . AND he is MENTALLY UNFIT to be PRESIDENT.”

Monae continued, “the Republican Party 🖕🏻has wanted a pawn to carry out their agenda & help do their dirty work for a while . This is why the racists, sexists, white nationalists, white supremacists, etc that make up that party won’t call 4 impeachment . #RacistInChief is ALSO a PAWN .”

Monae also retweeted a number of statements from Ocasio-Cortez responding to the situation and tweeted finally, “calling for impeachment then voting him out. That’s the tweet . #RacistPresident”

Chris Evans

Even though he may have left his Captain America mantle behind following Avengers: Endgame, Evans yesterday exercised his American right to freedom of speech on Twitter. Retweeting Trump’s statement, Evans responded, “This is racist, Biff.”

He continued, “The only thing worse than actually being hateful and racist, is casually wielding hate and racism to activate your base in an unrelenting, painfully transparent, and crushingly on-brand effort to soothe your only true devotion: feeding your insatiable ego.”

Ava DuVernay

Selma director Ava DuVernay didn’t respond directly to Trump’s tweets, however she did take the opportunity to highlight the four women at the centre of his ire. She shared an image of Omar, Tlaib, Pressley and AOC, tweeting, “Saluting these women. Stay pushing. Stay shining. Stay working. Stay a pain in the ass of the #RacistInChief and all his co-horts. Stay true to who you are. Stay safe. Stay together. Stay making us proud. #FourQueens”

She also retweeted an article titled “Trump Is a Racist. If You Still Support Him, So Are You”, which she captioned “Plain and simple. #RacistInChief”

Karamo Brown

It seems like Donald Trump won’t be featured on an episode of Queer Eye any time soon, as the Fab 5’s Karamo Brown joined the #RacistInChief tweet train.

He posted a picture of himself wearing a shirt which read “Made by Immigrants” and tweeted, “Our #RacistInChief just told four American Congresswomen “go back to their countries...” Immigrants & their children are the heart of our country. I am proud to be #MadeByImmigrants @realDonaldTrump racist rhetoric only makes me fight harder for all. #FirstGenerationAmerican”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The former governor of California weighed in on the matter. He told POLITICO via email, “I’m disappointed in this weekend’s untrue, unfair, and un-American attack. It is hateful, it is crude, and it is divisive.”

Schwarzenegger, who is himself an Austrian immigrant, said, “America has always been about where you are going, not where you come from. That’s what drew me and millions of other proud, contributing Americans to the greatest country in the world to realize our dreams.”

He continued with a direct appeal to Trump, saying, “President Trump, if you stood in the Rose Garden and broke down their policies for an hour, the country wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. At some point, you have to dial down Donald and dial up President Trump.”

He said, “I know it isn’t easy, but the job you hold is bigger than you. It is bigger than any man or woman. The American people put great trust in you to serve, and it is time to rise to their trust instead of dragging them down and tearing them apart.”

Seth Meyers

Unsurprisingly, Trump’s biggest showbiz nemeses - the comedic Late Night talk show hosts - weren’t about to let his tweets slide. Meyers called Trump’s actions “stunningly racist” and said, “There is no acceptable word for this other than racist. Not racially charged, not racially tinged...Three of the congresswomen you’re attacking were born here and they’re all American citizens so if you’re aksing them to fix the “totally broken” “crime infested” governments of their home countries - they’re trying.”

He continued, “It doesn’t matter if they were born here or not, they’re Americans and this is their country. And they’re treating it with a lot more respect and devotion than the racist gargoyle who sits around tweeting.”

Stephen Colbert

Another hot take from another talk show host. Stephen Colbert condemned the tweets in a furious monologue, saying, “Now if [the tweets] strikes you as a little racist you do not know the meaning of the word little. And it’s so full - it’s a chockblock - it’s a burrito of wrongness.”

He continued, “He’s so wrong in what he’s saying but here’s the problem, it is insulting to these women to even have to defend them from these ridiculous racist accusations and that’s the problem even touching on Trump’s obvious racism gets it on you. Also a fair amount of bronzer.”

Mitt Romney

While Mitt Romney stopped short of calling Trump's tweets racist, he did say that they were "over the line". He tweeted, "The president’s comments were destructive, demeaning, and disunifying. The President of the United States has a unique and noble calling to unite the American people – of all different races, colors, and national origins. In that respect, the president failed badly."

He continued, "People can disagree over politics and policy, but telling American citizens to go back to where they came from is over the line."

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