A few days after the President of the United of America Donald Trump unleashed scathing vitriol at minority congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Ayanna S. Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, his African-American Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson has come to his defense claiming he is not a racist.
Appearing on Fox News on Wednesday, the former neurosurgeon begged to differ when host Sandra Smith asked him if he viewed his Tweets as racist.
“I have an advantage of knowing the president very well, and he’s not a racist and his comments are not racist,” he said. “But he loves the country very much and, you know, he has a feeling that those who represent the country should love it as well.”
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Smith pressed him further, highlighting the fact that the president suggested the said congresswomen go back to their countries though they are U.S. citizens. She also asked him what it meant because Trump wasn’t backtracking on his Tweets. Carson, however, dissuaded from the topic and rather highlighted Trump’s achievements.
“I think you can see what the president means by looking at his accomplishments,” he replied.
“Under this president… you see low unemployment — record low for Blacks, for Hispanics, for all the demographics of our nation.”
“I think we should pay a lot more attention to what they are doing than what anybody is saying.”
Carson also touched on people always playing victim, telling them to rather rise above all obstacles, just like him.
“I have to look at my own situation, born and growing up in dire poverty with a lot negativity around me, but also, recognizing that I lived in a place where, you know, through the help of my mother, who helped me to realize that I wasn’t a victim, that I had access to all kinds of things,” he said.
“And [I] was able to go on, become a neurosurgeon, now a cabinet member, and these are things that we want people to recognize in our nation and that’s why we want to create opportunities for them.”
On Sunday, Trump lashed out racist comments at his key adversaries in Congress, House Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts.
“So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.
“Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!” he tweeted.
This is one of many divisive, racist and xenophobic tweets of Trump against people of colour who have been appointed as representatives of American people and who have the power to go against his policies and government.
Among the four women he attacked, only Ilhan Omar was born out of the U.S. She was born in Somalia. Rashida Tlaib is also the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is of Puerto Rican heritage.
Despite the criticisms that came after his tweets, Trump was adamant they weren’t racist.
“Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body!” he shared.
