Trump: Congresswomen can ‘go wherever they want’

President Trump on Tuesday pressed on with his attacks on four Democratic congresswomen of color whom he told to “go back” to their home countries, saying the lawmakers “can go wherever they want.”

“It’s up to them. They can go wherever they want, or they can stay,” Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting. “But they should love our country. They shouldn’t hate our country.”

“You look at what they’ve said — I have clips right here — the most vile, horrible statements about our country, about Israel, about others. It’s up to them,” he continued. “They can do what they want. They can leave. They can stay. But they should love our country, and they should work for the good of our country.”{mosads}

Trump has faced significant bipartisan backlash since tweeting Sunday that the four progressive Democratic freshmen — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (Minn.) — should “go back” and “help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came” before they criticize the U.S. government.

All four lawmakers are U.S. citizens, and only Omar was born outside the U.S.

The president stepped up his attacks on “the squad” on Monday, saying the women “hate our country,” harbor hatred toward Jews and love terrorist groups, adding that they’re “free to leave” the U.S. if they choose.

While GOP congressional leadership has said the president and his remarks are not racist, House Democrats introduced a resolution Monday night to condemn his comments as racist. The chamber plans to vote on the resolution later Tuesday, and House GOP leadership is urging its members to vote “no.”

2020 Democratic White House candidates, including Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have also decried Trump for his remarks.

Trump has stuck by what he said, insisting Tuesday that “I do not have a racist bone in my body.”