Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Trump's comments 'beneath the office of the presidency'

She said he is "stoking these racist feelings and stoking religious bigotry."

ByBeatrice Peterson
July 16, 2019, 6:19 PM

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard struck back at President Donald Trump's remarks on Tuesday that four of her fellow members of congress should "go back" to where they came from.

The Hawaii Congresswoman told ABC News' Senior Washington Reporter Devin Dwyer sthat Trump's remarks had what she described as devastating consequences.

"Stoking these racist feelings and stoking religious bigotry in this country, tearing apart and already divided country for his own political game is beneath the office of the presidency and undermines the very values and principles of our democracy," Gabbard said.

Gabbard further said that Trump was using platform of the presidency to tell people who are critical of him that they should "go home."

Over the weekend, she tweeted that the remarks were "yet another example of Trump’s ignorance & disdain for the values that truly make America great. His comments that 4 US citizen Members of Congress should “go back” to the countries they came from is further evidence he does not belong in the White House.”

Yet another example of Trump’s ignorance & disdain for the values that truly make America great. His comments that 4 US citizen Members of Congress should “go back” to the countries they came from is further evidence he does not belong in the White House. https://t.co/M4XWv4EMjq

— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) July 15, 2019

On Monday, Gabbard was thrust further into the spotlight after hip-hop artist Cardi B posted an altered cover of Rolling Stone Magazine on Instagram. The magazine cover from earlier this year originally had the image of Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Jahana Hayes.

However, for the meme Cardi posted replaced Pelosi with Gabbard.

PHOTO: Cardi B performs on stage during the Wireless Festival on July 05, 2019 in London.
Cardi B performs on stage during the Wireless Festival on July 05, 2019 in London.
Lorne Thomson/Redferns via Getty Images

Gabbard, who is the only minority woman from the House who is running for president, reaffirmed that she will not be supporting impeachment, instead sticking by her calls to vote Trump out of office.

On "The Briefing Room" she said impeachment: "would only further divide a terribly divided country and it further emboldens me and my conviction about why I'm running for president because I believe that we need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020."

Gabbard added it is up to the voters to make a "decisive statement that we will stand for all Americans we will stand for our freedoms. We will stand for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble freedom of the press, and we will defeat Donald Trump In November of 2020."

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On Monday, Gabbard was thrust further into the spotlight after hip-hop artist Cardi B posted an altered cover of Rolling Stone Magazine on Instagram. The magazine cover from earlier this year originally had the image of Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Jahana Hayes.

However, for the meme Cardi posted replaced Pelosi with Gabbard.

Gabbard, who is the only minority woman from the House who is running for president, reaffirmed that she will not be supporting impeachment, instead sticking by her calls to vote Trump out of office.

On \"The Briefing Room\" she said impeachment: \"would only further divide a terribly divided country and it further emboldens me and my conviction about why I'm running for president because I believe that we need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020.\"

Gabbard added it is up to the voters to make a \"decisive statement that we will stand for all Americans we will stand for our freedoms. We will stand for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble freedom of the press, and we will defeat Donald Trump In November of 2020.\"

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