Ilhan Omar responds to Trump's racist attack: 'He spreads the disease of hate'

In a scathing response to the United States President Donald Trump's racist attack against her, Ilhan Omar, the House Representative for the state of Minnesota, stated he "spreads the disease of hate," CNN reports. The President's statements were not shocking; he has chosen to run on culturally and racially divisive lines for his re-election campaign, much like he did during his first Presidential run. With this in mind, the "Squad" member argued that the upcoming elections in November would be an opportunity for Americans to "respond cohesively and say, 'This is not who we are.'" This is not the first time Omar has been the target of Trump's racist mudslinging, and with voting day fast approaching, it is unlikely to be the last time.

President Trump made the bigoted statements on Tuesday night at his rally in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. "She's telling us how to run our country," he said, referring to the Democratic Congresswoman. "How did you do where you came from? How is your country doing?" Omar was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in 2018. Along with her family, she fled civil war in Somalia, where she was born, and sought asylum in the United States in 1995. Five years later, in 2000, she became an American citizen. Of course, these details do not effectively matter. The United States has always been a melting pot of those seeking better for themselves—it was intended to be a sanctuary for those fleeing war, crime, and poverty.

Therefore, Representative Omar responded to the President's statements in an interview with CNN's Brianna Keilar on Right Now. She stated, "The President clearly loves to prey on people's fears. He spreads the disease of hate everywhere he goes, and these cult rallies that he's holding across the country are now being fueled by fear, and it is no surprise that he is so fearful of winning Minnesota that he has to resort to this hate." However, she did not stop there. She also called Trump a "racist xenophobic, because he's not against immigration, he's just against immigrants who look like me."

The Democrat is not wrong. After all, who could forget Trump's infamous comment about "sh*th*le" countries? Omar reminded viewers that his statements were about more than just a spat between the two politicians. Rather, it was about how Americans would like to define themselves. "[These attacks] from the highest office in the country are completely reshaping the societal outlooks of our country, and it's quite shameful," she affirmed. "[The 2020 election will be an opportunity to] respond cohesively and say, 'This is not who we are. These are not what our founding principles were based on, and this is not the country we want to be.'"