LONDON — Lawmakers and commentators abroad expressed shock and disgust on Monday after President Trump targeted Democratic minority congresswomen in tweets over the weekend and told them to “go back” to their countries.
While Republicans largely avoided commenting on the president’s statements, lawmakers around the world did not.
British politician David Lammy branded Trump’s comments “1950s racism straight from the White House.”
Prime Minister Theresa May, who has just days left in office, also condemned the tweets.
“The prime minister’s view is that the language used to refer to these women was completely unacceptable,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the tweets “totally offensive.” Former London mayor and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson said the president’s comments were “unacceptable.” One of the two men will be selected prime minister next week.
Donald Trump telling four ethnic minority American congresswomen to "go back" where they "originally came from". 1950s racism straight from the White House. Any British politician fit to serve as PM would condemn. @BorisJohnson will you? https://t.co/W0ITCB2vW7
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 14, 2019
The condemnations come after a tense week between Britain and the United States with the special (or not-so-special) relationship at a new low.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s Labour Party, branded Trump “racist” on Tuesday, and noted how candidates to lead the ruling Conservative Party refused to use the word in describing Trump.
“The Tory leadership candidates can’t bring themselves to say so. We should stand up to Donald Trump, not pander to him for a sweetheart trade deal which would put our NHS at risk.”
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon insisted that such language should be called out for what it is.
“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.” she tweeted.
Sadiq Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor, who was born and raised in the city and has frequently clashed with Trump, told a British radio station that this is the type of language he has heard for much of his life — though never from such a source.
“I’ve heard it from racists and fascists. Never from a mainstream politician,” he said. “Here you have the president of the U.S.A. using that same sort of language.”
The outrage came from outside Britain as well.
“Trump’s racism is sickening. Any European politician who fails to condemn this has questions to answer & should be ashamed of themselves,” wrote Belgian politician Guy Verhofstadt.
In Germany, commentators condemned Trump’s remarks on Monday. To rely on “ugly sentiments,” wrote the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily newspaper, has “long become part of his strategy.”
Trump’s tweets, the paper wrote, were so “clearly racist, that a debate over their content is a waste of time.”
German news outlet Der Spiegel echoed those comments. In a commentary on its website, the publication said Trump is now relying on an “even more overt and blunt racism” than ahead of the 2016 U.S. elections.
In the West Bank, where Tlaib has relatives and is considered a hometown hero despite having never lived there, many saw Trump’s tweets as a confirmation of what they view as a pro-Israel bias — and an insult to values America purports to uphold.
Bassam Tlaib, one of the congresswoman’s uncles in the West Bank, told the Associated Press Trump’s tweets were “a racist statement meant to target Rashida because she has Palestinian roots.”
“This statement proves that Trump is anti-Palestinian, anti-Islam and completely biased toward Israel,” he continued.
The Palestinian Authority, which has cut off ties with the White House over a succession of Trump policies that have favored Israel, called Trump’s statement an “insult” to the concept of American rule of law, according to the AP.
“It’s an insult to the Statue of Liberty, America’s most famous symbol, an insult to the American values where migrants from all over the world are united as one nation under one law,” said Ibrahim Milhim, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the tweets when asked whether he considered them racist during a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday.
“That is not how we do things in Canada,” he said at a military base in Petawawa, Ontario. “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian, and the diversity of our country is actually one of our greatest strengths and a source of tremendous resilience and pride for Canadians. We will continue to defend that.”
On Tuesday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has clashed with Trump in the past, became the latest politician to condemn Trump’s treatment of the four congresswomen.
Speaking on Radio New Zealand, Ardern said, “Usually I don’t get into other people’s politics, but it will be clear to most people that I completely and utterly disagree with him.”
William Booth in London, Rick Noack in Berlin and Amanda Coletta in Toronto contributed to this report.