Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) on Sunday told congregants of the First AME Church in Los Angeles that God has sent her to take on President Donald Trump.
Waters began her tirade by accusing the president of being intent on “taking America down,” rather than living up to his 2016 presidential slogan of “Make America Great Again.”
“I am in this fight,” Waters declared before claiming her political opponents are waging an effort to “intimidate,” and “frighten,” her. During a June 30 speech in Los Angeles to demonstrators protesting President Trump “zero-tolerance,” immigration policies, the California lawmaker warned her enemies “better shoot straight,” if they are going to confront her. “No, we have members of Congress trying to intimidate me,” Waters said. “I have no fear. I’m in this fight. I know that there are those who are talking about censuring me, talking about kicking me out of Congress, talking about shooting me, talking about hanging me. All I have to say is this, if you shoot me, you better shoot straight. There’s nothing like a wounded animal.”
Waters told congregants she is not backing down from resisting the Trump administration’s policies despite calls from Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to tone down her violent rhetoric. “I’ve said that we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” she said.
Waters was roundly criticized after calling on her supporters to “create a crowd,” and “push back,” against Trump administration officials over its border policies. “You tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,” the Congressional Black Caucus member said while speaking in front of Los Angeles’ Wilshire Federal Building.
The California Democrat in June told MSNBC she has “no sympathy,” for Trump administration officials who have been subjected to public harassment. “They tend to not want to confront this president or even leave, but they know what they’re doing is wrong,” Waters said. “I want to tell you, these members of his cabinet who remain and try to defend him, they won’t be able to go to a restaurant, they won’t be able to stop at a gas station, they’re not going to be able to shop at a department store. They’re going to protest. They’re absolutely going to harass them until they decide that they’re going to tell the president, ‘No, I can’t hang with you,’” she added.
The 79-year-old lawmaker concluded her speech claiming God anointed her to help lead the fight against the Trump administration. “You’ve gotta know that I’m here to do the work that I was sent to do, and as pastor said to me when I came in this morning, when God sends you to do something, you just do it!” she exclaimed. “So I have a message I’m going back to Washington tomorrow morning, I’m going to tell them pastor told me to come here and just do it!”
[H/T The American Mirror]