“Go Back To Your Country”

In the United States one of the most offensive expressions one can use against another person is to say: “Go back to your country.” When an individual uses these words to insult a person of color or minority, that person is considered a racist. But when the one who utters such words is the president of the country and are directed at members of the Congress then the issue becomes a national scandal and causes a political uproar.

Last Sunday morning, President Trump in a series of Tweets accused four female members of the House of Representatives of being “un-American” and telling them “to go back to their countries.” Ironically, three of four congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Porto Rican, Ayanna Pressley, an African American and Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American are all born and raised in the United States. While the fourth one, Ilhan Omar, the first Muslim woman in Congress came to this country as a refugee from Somalia and lived here since childhood. These four public servants were first elected to the House last November, representing the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and becoming fierce critics of Trump’s policies.

Just few years ago, calling the president a ” liar” or “racist” was considered unacceptable and a “red Line” that no one crossed. Politicians and the media avoided using such terms when speaking about the President. However, during Trump’s presidency, everything seems to have turned upside-down, due to his constant lying and offensive language targeting not only his political opponents but anyone who disagrees with him.

The House Democratic majority did not hesitate and immediately passed a resolution condemning Trump’s tweets and calling them as racist. Such a resolution was not adopted in the past one hundred years. Major American newspapers published editorials denouncing Donald Trump’s behavior.

Most political commentators are of the opinion that Trump knowingly uses such tactics to animate his base, many of whom are white nationalists. Trump knows that his only path for re-election is a strong showing at the polls by his supporters, who represent a minority of the population, at the same time suppressing the other sides voters.

Clearly, Donald Trump is willing to resort to any means necessary to ensure his re-election, and he is prepared not only to further divide the country, but also to destroy its basic principles.
“MASSIS”