During remarks to reporters outside the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump insisted that the four congresswomen “hate” America “with a passion.” | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images White House Trump: My tweets 'were NOT Racist' The president carried his tirade against four freshman lawmakers into its third day.

President Donald Trump asserted Tuesday that his recent tweets targeting a quartet of progressive congresswomen "were NOT Racist," and urged Republican lawmakers to vote against a House resolution formally condemning the incendiary posts.

"Those Tweets were NOT Racist. 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," the president wrote online. "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."


Trump also tweeted that the four lawmakers — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — are now "forever wedded to the Democrat Party" despite efforts by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) "to push them away," warning: "See you in 2020!"

The House is expected to take up a measure Tuesday evening denouncing "President Trump's racist comments directed at Members of Congress." Trump on Sunday wrote on Twitter that the congresswomen should "go back” to where they came from, even though three of the four — Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley and Tlaib — were born in the U.S. and Omar, a refugee from Somalia, has been a citizen since she was 17.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump had carried his tirade against the freshman lawmakers into its third day, tweeting that the House should move to rebuke them for "spewing some of the most vile, hateful, and disgusting things ever said by a politician" in Congress, and complaining that they "get a free pass and a big embrace" from the Democratic Party.

“Horrible anti-Israel, anti-USA, pro-terrorist & public shouting of the F...word, among many other terrible things, and the petrified Dems run for the hills,” Trump continued . “Why isn’t the House voting to rebuke the filthy and hate laced things they have said? Because they are the Radical Left, and the Democrats are afraid to take them on. Sad!”

Roughly an hour later, Trump wrote online: "Our Country is Free, Beautiful and Very Successful. If you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!"

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday dismissed the Democrats' resolution as "all politics," telling reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill that he will vote against the measure and encourage his GOP members to do the same.

McCarthy added that he did not believe Trump's tweets were racist, and claimed the heated debate over the posts within Washington "is about ideology."

Senior administration and West Wing officials also sought Tuesday to back the president and besmirch the congresswomen. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had "never seen" race play a role in Trump's decision-making, and slammed the freshman lawmakers' foreign policy outlook.

"We are a force for good in the world, not a force for evil," Pompeo told CBN News. "We are not the cause of these conflicts, and I hear these members of Congress talk about this as if America had generated this trouble. And to blame America first for these things is deeply inconsistent with not only our founding and our tradition, but with the facts on the ground."

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway accused Democrats of too frequently hurling charges of "racism, sexism [and] xenophobia," and mocked the congresswomen's record of legislative achievement.

"These four people in the so-called 'squad' — that have done squat in Congress other than pose on magazine covers and go on late night comedy shows and cause trouble in their own caucus — were under fire a couple short days ago by senior Democrats, elected officials," Conway told Fox News.

'The squad' hits back at Trump after tweetstorm

After first launching his criticism Sunday, Trump escalated the offensive on social media through Monday, culminating in explosive remarks to the media outside the White House during which he alleged the four congresswomen “hate” America “with a passion.” The lawmakers responded in a press conference later in the day, defending their patriotism, advocating for liberal policy proposals and calling for the president’s impeachment.

Trump’s racist language regarding the congresswomen and attempts to brand them as ideologically representative of the Democratic Party have served to unify Pelosi’s caucus, which became consumed last week by infighting between more moderate lawmakers and progressives including Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley and Tlaib.

Asked Tuesday afternoon where the congresswomen should go if they leave the U.S., Trump responded that "it's up to them" to decide. "They can do what they want. They can leave. They can stay. But they should love our country," the president told reporters during a meeting of his Cabinet.

Trump also declined to answer whether he would be willing to stop telling American citizens to return to foreign countries.

"It's my opinion they hate our country," he said of the congresswomen. "And that's not good. It’s not acceptable.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), breaking his silence on the controversy later Tuesday, insisted "the president is not a racist" but offered a gentle scolding of Trump as well as congressional Democrats.

“From the president to the speaker to freshman members of the House, all of us have a responsibility to elevate the public discourse," McConnell said at a news conference in the Capitol. "Our words do matter. We all know politics is a contact sport, but it's about time we lowered the temperature all across the board."