Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), one of a group of outspoken progressives in the House Democratic freshman class, shared a photo of her first meeting with President Obama, saying Thursday the former commander in chief offered some words of praise.
Obama “met with us new members of Congress and we had a thoughtful discussion about serving our country,” Tlaib wrote on Twitter Thursday.
{mosads}Obama met with the new Democrats in Congress on Monday during a private event in Washington and reportedly issued a warning about keeping perspective.
“He said we [as Democrats] shouldn’t be afraid of big, bold ideas — but also need to think in the nitty-gritty about how those big, bold ideas will work and how you pay for them,” one attendee told The Washington Post.
Tlaib has faced repeated criticism, including from her first day in office when she made an “impeach the motherf—er” comment about President Trump hours after she was sworn in.
Tlaib and her fellow freshman Democrats have already challenged party leadership on issues such as health care, policy toward Israel and other hot-button topics.
Tlaib is one of a few Democratic lawmakers who has openly criticized the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and she’s defended fellow freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in the wake of accusations of anti-Semitism.
Conservative talk-radio host Mark Levin bashed the photo of her with Obama on Friday: