The four liberal Democratic congresswomen currently at the receiving end of US President Donald Trump's racist Twitter rant have rejected his narrative, labelling his widely-criticised statements as nothing more than a "distraction."
"He (Trump) does not embody the grace, the empathy, the compassion, the integrity that that office requires and that the American people deserve," said Massachusetts lawmaker Ayanna Pressley during a joint presser held with fellow Democratic leaders Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
"That being said, I encourage the American people and all of us in this room and beyond to not take the bait. This is a disruptive distraction from the issues of care, concern, and consequence to the American people," she added, according to CNN.
The four freshmen representatives have been targetted by Trump in a scathing Twitter tirade which started on Sunday. He had asked the leaders to got back to the "broken, crime-infested countries" they came from -- a claim which is being seen as a direct attack on Omar who was born in Somalia, but immigrated to the US when she was a child. She later became a naturalised citizen of the country when she was 17-years-old. The other three Democrats are natural-born US citizens.
"I am not surprised when the President says that four sitting members of Congress should 'go back to their own country' when he has authorized raids without warrants on thousands of families across this country. I am not surprised that he used the rhetoric that he does when he violates international human rights and takes thousands of children away from their families," said Ocasio-Cortez while referring to the ICE raids which took place on Sunday and targetted the immigrant community.
"We'll stay focused on our agenda and we won't get caught slipping. Because all of this is a distraction. It is a distraction from what is most important and from our core values as American citizens," she added.
Trump also tweeted while the four Democratic leaders were holding their joint press conference on Monday.
"We will never be a Socialist or Communist Country. IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY HERE, YOU CAN LEAVE! It is your choice and your choice alone. This is about love for America. Certain people HATE our Country," he tweeted.
"They are anti-Israel, pro-Al-Qaeda, and comment on the 9/11 attack, "some people did something." Radical Left Democrats want Open Borders, which means drugs, crime, human trafficking, and much more," Trump added.
"Detention facilities are not Concentration Camps! America has never been stronger than it is now - rebuilt Military, highest Stock Market EVER, lowest unemployment and more people working than ever before. Keep America Great!" he also said, while referring to the quad's criticism of his immigration policies, especially towards migrants coming in from the US-Mexico border.
Other Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have criticised Trump for his statements, backing her fellow Democrats despite their differences. She had previously announced that the US House of Representatives would be voting on a resolution "condemning the President's xenophobic tweets."
Within the Republican Party, while on the one hand, a few members spoke up against the US president, others tried justifying his statements. Senior GOP leader Lindsey Graham faced backlash for his defence of Trump's tweets.
( With inputs from ANI )