Trump's tweets on congresswomen "counteract America's strength"
Published : 19 Jul 2019, 20:38
Updated : 19 Jul 2019, 21:09
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday described U.S. President Donald Trump's tweets on four Democratic congresswomen as something that "counteracts America's strength".
She made the remarks during a speech at the yearly German Federal Press Conference (BPK) in Berlin.
Trump's latest tweets telling four freshmen Congresswomen to leave the country have sparked outrage among Democrats.
The targeted Democratic congresswomen of color are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Reshida Tlalib and Ayanna Pressley. Of the four, only Omar was born overseas, in Somalia.
The president said the four lawmakers should return to the "broken and crime infested" places they came from.
Merkel emphasized that, in the United States, "people of very different nationalities have contributed to the strength of this nation".
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to condemn Trump's statements in a symbolic resolution as "racist comments that have legitimized fear and hatred of New Americans and people of color".
Trump has since tweeted that he would not have "a Racist bone" in his body.
Regardless, German Chancellor Merkel said that she would distance herself "decisively" from the recent tweets by Trump and instead added that she would "show solidarity with the women".