COLUMBUS, Ohio — President Donald Trump's tweets have ignited more backlash after he told a group of Democratic congresswomen to return to their "broken and crime infested" countries on Sunday.
Though Trump did not directly identify which congresswomen he was discussing, it was clear he was referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and her House allies, Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Only Omar, from Somalia, is foreign-born.
Trump's tweets in full said:
"So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!"
The remarks were quickly called racist and divisive. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump wants to "make America white again", while Ocasio-Cortez said Trump "can't conceive of an America that includes us."
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also called Trump's tweets inappropriate Monday during a Let's Be Clear interview with WKYC's Will Ujek.
"It's not appropriate," DeWine said of Trump's remarks. "We're all Americans. We're a country that was founded by immigrants and we've been replenished with legal immigrants through the years. They're all Americans, and one thing our Constitution guarantees is, you're a citizen, you're a citizen. There's no grades of citizenship, and that's one of the great things about this country."
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich also bashed Trump's tweets in a statement issued Monday.
"What Donald Trump said about Democrat women in Congress is deplorable and beneath the dignity of the office," Kasich's statement said. "We all, including Republicans, need to speak out against these kinds of comments that do nothing more than divide us and create deep animosity - maybe even hatred. At the base of America is a Jewish and Christian tradition that says that we must realize that we are all brothers and sisters. Rhetoric like the President’s works against that foundation of our country and all that we teach our children."
Meanwhile several of Ohio's Republican Members of Congress expressed condemnation for Trump's remarks. U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, from Rocky River, tweeted that the President's comments were, "wildly inappropriate."
U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, from Bainbridge Township, also tweeted, "What the President tweeted this weekend was wrong."
The strongest criticism from Ohio's GOP came from U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, from Dayton, who called Trump's tweets "racist," and called for the President to apologize.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman also issued a statement on Trump's comments:
“I think it’s divisive and wrong. I wish the President would talk more about the strong economy that he has helped create, and unite people around that,” the statement read.
Though he did not agree with Trump's attacks on the congresswomen, DeWine praised the president's actions on trade and appointment of conservatives to the federal bench.
"I think there's a real feeling among Ohioans and Americans that we've been run over in the past by other countries," DeWine said. "What people in Ohio tell me is, we don't want a trade war, we want to get this settled, but they tell me, 'I think Trump's doing the right thing in regard to trade because he's not letting the United States get pushed around.' I think that's really the general feeling among all Ohioans."