Trump Dragged For Inciting Violence Against Member Of Congress

Donald Trump

It's difficult to imagine that a president - a current occupant of the White House - could do something so lacking in dignity.

And yet, he did.

On Friday, Donald Trump incited anger against a member of Congress, Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

Trump tweeted out an edited portion of a speech given by the congresswoman at a March event for the Muslim civil rights organization Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The full quote was:

“Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen, and frankly, I’m tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

But Trump's video took just a few words from Ilhan - "some people did something" - and repeated it while cutting to video clips of the attack on 9/11. The intention was to make it appear as if Rep. Ilhan was downplaying the attack, which was not the case in any way, shape or form.

Trump was taking Ilhan’s words out of context to incite violence toward her.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET! pic.twitter.com/VxrGFRFeJM

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019

Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a military veteran and White House hopeful for 2020, responded on Twitter.

“After 9/11 we all said we were changed. That we were stronger and more united. That’s what “never forget” was about. Now, a president uses that dark day to incite his base against a member of Congress, as if for sport. As if we learned nothing that day about the workings of hate. That day, some people did this: killed thousands of Americans in order to try to make us smaller, more divided and less free. To weaken us by distancing us from our own values through fear and anger. This is the function of terrorism.”

That day, some people did this: killed thousands of Americans in order to try to make us smaller, more divided and less free. To weaken us by distancing us from our own values through fear and anger. This is the function of terrorism.

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 13, 2019

Buttigieg continued: "I served overseas, at risk to my life, in the struggle against such terrorism. But it can only be fully defeated if we have leaders at home who defuse its capacity to sow hate—hate against Islam or against any number of “others.” The president today made America smaller. It is not enough to condemn him; we must model something better."

“The threats against the life of @IlhanMN make clear what is at stake if we fail to to do this, and to beat back hate in all all its forms,” he concluded.

The president today made America smaller. It is not enough to condemn him; we must model something better.

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 13, 2019

The threats against the life of @IlhanMN make clear what is at stake if we fail to to do this, and to beat back hate in all all its forms.

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 13, 2019

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also condemned Trump's actions: "The President is inciting violence against a sitting Congresswoman—and an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It's disgusting. It's shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it."

The President is inciting violence against a sitting Congresswoman—and an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It's disgusting. It's shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 13, 2019

And Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont: "Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won't back down to Trump's racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end."

Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won't back down to Trump's racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2019

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted this: "Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the President’s explicit attack today.@IlhanMN’s life is in danger. For our colleagues to be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous targeting of a member of Congress.We must speak out. 'First they came…'"

Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the President’s explicit attack today.@IlhanMN’s life is in danger. For our colleagues to be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous targeting of a member of Congress.

We must speak out.

“First they came...” pic.twitter.com/ygOX1vhE9j

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 12, 2019

And then there was the onslaught on Twitter using the #IStandWithIlhanOmar hashtag. Click here to get some of that.