US President Donald Trump has continued his Twitter tirade against four Democratic congresswomen after he told them to go back to their "crime infested" countries.
Following Mr Trump's comments yesterday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said his tweets are "completely unacceptable".
"Her view is that the language which was used to refer to the women was completely unacceptable," Mrs May's spokesman told reporters.
Mr Trump told the group of mostly American-born congresswomen to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came," a comment that was condemned by Democrats as racist.
"So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe... viciously telling the people of the United States... how our government is to be run," Mr Trump said in a series of three comments on Twitter yesterday.
While he did not mention names, Mr Trump appeared to be referring to first-year Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
As it reached morning in Washington, Mr Trump repeated his attacks on the congresswomen, asking when will the "Radical left congresswomen" apologise for their "foul language", adding people were angry at their "horrible and disgusting actions".
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......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
....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....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
....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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2019
He also hit out at those who came to the congresswomen's defence.
So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, "RACIST." Their disgusting language.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2019
....and the many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged. If the Democrat Party wants to continue to condone such disgraceful behavior, then we look even more forward to seeing you at the ballot box in 2020!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2019
The group known as "the squad" has been very critical of Mr Trump and also of the current Democratic leadership of the House.
Only Ms Omar, whose family left Somalia as refugees and arrived in Minneapolis in 1997, was born outside the United States.
"Mr President, the country I 'come from,' and the country we all swear to, is the United States," Ms Ocasio-Cortez responded on Twitter.
"You are angry because you can't conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder."
But you know what's the rub of it all, Mr. President?
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 14, 2019
On top of not accepting an America that elected us, you cannot accept that we don’t fear you,either.
You can’t accept that we will call your bluff & offer a positive vision for this country. And that’s what makes you seethe.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, has feuded with the group in an increasingly bitter intra-party fight, but came to their defence along with other Democratic colleagues.
She called Mr Trump's comments "xenophobic".
"When @realDonaldTrump tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to 'Make America Great Again' has always been about making America white again," she said on Twitter.
"Do I fit into the President's category?" US Senator Dick Durbin on Illinois, said on CBS's 'Face the Nation', mentioning his family's Lithuanian heritage.
"Thanks goodness," he said of Ms Omar's journey from refugee to one of only two Muslim women elected to Congress, along with Ms Tlaib, a native of Detroit.
"That is what America holds as a dream. The president should not diminish it."
Moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins called on President Trump to delete the Twitter attack, saying his comments went "way over the line."
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also tweeted: "The President of the United States telling elected politicians - or any other Americans for that matter - to 'go back' to other countries is not OK, and diplomatic politeness should not stop us saying so, loudly and clearly."
Additional Reporting PA
