Donald Trump’s comments about the Congressional women known as the Squad, were quickly denounced by by multiple Democratic lawmakers. For nearly 24 hours, though, Republican lawmakers were conspicuously silent on the matter.
This morning, Will Hurd (TX) became the first Republican to hit back at Trump on the comments. Hurd’s comments were especially impactful as he is the only African American Republican serving in the House. The Congressman noted that not only were Trump’s comments racist, they are also untruthful.
Hurd told CNN’s Christine Amanpour, “I think those tweets are racist and xenophobic. They’re also inaccurate.”
Republican Rep. Will Hurd to CNN: "I think those tweets are racist and xenophobic. They're also inaccurate, right? The four women he's referring to are actually citizens of the United States. Three of the four were born here." pic.twitter.com/BWcMrIts9R
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 15, 2019
The Congressman continued,
“Look, I’m the only black Republican in the House of Representatives. I go into communities that most Republicans don’t show up in order to take a conservative message.This makes it harder in order to take our ideas, and our platform, to communities that don’t necessarily identify with the Republican Party.”
When asked about the lack of response from other Republicans, Hurd said it’s,”concerning to me that there are people that think that’s OK, that kind of behavior’s OK.”
Other Republican lawmakers came out against the comments as well. Ohio’s Mike Turner tweeted, “I am confident that every Member of Congress is a committed American. Donald Trump’s tweets from this weekend were racist and he should apologize. We must work as a country to rise above hate, not enable it.”
I am confident that every Member of Congress is a committed American. @realDonaldTrump’s tweets from this weekend were racist and he should apologize. We must work as a country to rise above hate, not enable it.
— US Rep. Mike Turner (@RepMikeTurner) July 15, 2019
Texas Rep. Pete Olson wrote, “The Tweet President Trump posted over the weekend about fellow Members of Congress are not reflective of the values of the 1,000,000+ people in Texas 22. We are proud to be the most diverse Congressional district in America. I urge our President immediately disavow his comments.”
The Tweet President Trump posted over the weekend about fellow Members of Congress are not reflective of the values of the 1,000,000+ people in Texas 22. We are proud to be the most diverse Congressional district in America. I urge our President immediately disavow his comments.
— Rep. Pete Olson (@RepPeteOlson) July 15, 2019