Ilhan Omar Calls Tucker Carlson 'Racist Fool' After He Claimed She Hated America
Rep. Ilhan Omar pushed back on comments made by Fox News host Tucker Carlson calling the freshman congresswoman “living proof that the way we practice immigration has become dangerous to this country.”
On Tuesday night, Omar tweeted that “it’s kinda fun watching a racist fool like this weeping about my presence in Congress” after Carlson’s segment on Omar ran on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
“No lies will stamp out my love for this country or my resolve to make our union more perfect. They will just have to get used to calling me Congresswoman!” she wrote.
Not gonna lie, it’s kinda fun watching a racist fool like this weeping about my presence in Congress 🤣🤣
No lies will stamp out my love for this country or my resolve to make our union more perfect.
They will just have to get used to calling me Congresswoman! https://t.co/nRS13yWivK— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 10, 2019
Omar elaborated on her comments Wednesday, telling reporters at a Democratic caucus meeting that she truly believes Tucker is a “racist fool” who is “weeping about the fact that we have an African-born member of Congress, the kind of people that the likes of him think come from shithole countries.”
“And the fact that he doesn’t get the opportunity to ban me from this country, and now he gets to call me a congresswoman, I’m sure pisses him off,” Omar added. “But he’ll eventually get used to it. And I think that advertisers should not be underwriting this kind of dangerous, hateful rhetoric.”
In his Tuesday night rant, Carlson also insisted that Omar “hates this country more than ever” and that “virtually every public statement she makes accuses Americans of bigotry and racism.”
“This is an immoral country, she says. She has undisguised contempt for the United States and for its people. That should worry you, and not just because Omar is now a sitting member of Congress,” he told his viewers.
The rant was later called racist by many on social media.
After initially weighing in on her own Twitter account, Omar further engaged in the conversation by retweeting a follower who called her an “incredible congresswoman, woman, mother, and American citizen.”
“As someone who proudly voted for her I stand by her 110%, as do millions of other rational and compassionate citizens of this country,” wrote the user with the handle @claireMPLS.
Others offered their thoughts on Omar’s input, showing their support for the Minnesotan lawmaker:
This is why I love you https://t.co/sPGcYvpWe3
— Lizz Winstead Underground Collaborative MKE 7/19 (@lizzwinstead) July 10, 2019
Ilhan stays rising above ...
Don't know how she does it! https://t.co/0RaqrZHJwC— Nida Khan (@NidaKhanNY) July 10, 2019
Right media has figured this out like nobody's business. Tucker essentially describing her like she's David Duke elected to Congress. Listen to #ilhanomar for more than 60 seconds and recognize it's more like MLK, Jr elected to Congress. 'They' need to hear, and become 'we'. https://t.co/1TNXxiaQNj
— disposablesam (@disposablesam) July 10, 2019
Yes, Congresswoman! tell the haters to get use to the new normal. https://t.co/C0b2QWwdzV
— Farrah Dalla (@ZFDalla) July 10, 2019
What is actually evidence of the problems in the U.S. is the fact that Tucker Carlson - a man born into wealth and privilege - spews buckets of white supremacist bile on cable news every night. https://t.co/5H03Cqx4MG
— Chuka Ejeckam 🍞🌹 (@ChukaEjeckam) July 10, 2019
This story has been updated with Omar’s comments Wednesday.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.