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.
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 story has been updated with Omar’s comments Wednesday.