President Trump unloaded on leftist Squad members during a “Made in America” event at the White House Monday, describing the far-left freshman Democrats as “socialists definitely,” stopping short of labeling them communists, adding, “I would think they might be, but this isn’t what our country is about.”
“I see them complaining. They’re complaining constantly,” Trump said of the Squad, comprised of Democrat Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).
“I watched Lindsey Graham today on Fox & Friends talking about the same subject, and frankly, even stronger than what I’m saying. He said they’re communists,” Trump said.
He continued:
I’m saying they are socialists definitely. As to whether or not they’re communists, I would think they might be, but this isn’t what our country is about. Nevertheless, they’re free to leave if they want. And if they want to leave that’s fine, and if they want to stay, that’s fine. But the people have to know, and politicians can’t be afraid to take them on.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared on Fox News and called Ocasio-Cortez and her crowd “a bunch of communists.”
“We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of communists. They hate Israel. They hate our own country,” Graham said.
“They’re calling the guards along our border, the Border Patrol agents, concentration camp guards,” he continued. “They accuse people who support Israel of doing it ‘for the Benjamins.’ They’re anti-Semitic. They’re anti-America.”:
Trump retweeted Graham’s remarks Monday morning, adding, “Need I say more?”:
A troubling poll for Democrats surfaced over the weekend, suggesting that Ocasio-Cortez is defining the Democrat Party, but voters do not necessarily approve.
As Breitbart News reported:
It is apparently “circulating” among “top Democrats,” and involved “1,003 likely general-election voters who are white and have two years or less of college education.” The website did not provide the raw data or polling firm name.
According to the poll, 69 percent of general election voters viewed socialism unfavorably.
With that in mind, it could be that the president is playing off those facts and attempting to use them to weaken the Democrat Party, which is already struggling with infighting. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been in the midst of the struggle, reprimanding the ultra-progressive wing of the caucus for publicly bashing moderate members.
“So, again, you got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it,” Pelosi told Democrat colleagues, according to Politico. “But do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is just ok.”
It appears Pelosi fears that the more extreme left could cost Democrats the House in 2020. She reportedly issued that warning during last week’s closed-door caucus meeting.