Trump won't stop smearing Muslim congresswoman despite death threats

Trump is continuing to push smears about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who is a Muslim, despite serious, credible threats against her life. The attack is part of Trump’s long record of anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Trump posted a video using footage of the 9/11 attacks to dishonestly claim Omar had attacked survivors when in reality she has been speaking out about anti-Muslim bigotry that rose after the attack.

“Since the president’s tweet Friday evening, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life — many directly referencing or replying to the president’s video,” Omar said in a statement.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned Trump’s video, called for it to be taken down, and noted that she had notified the sergeant-at-arms to ensure a security assessment was being done to safeguard Rep. Omar, her family and her staff.

Trump’s reaction to this rebuke was to continue inciting violence against the congresswoman.

“Before Nancy, who has lost all control of Congress and is getting nothing done, decides to defend her leader, Rep. Omar, she should look at the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and ungrateful U.S. HATE statements Omar has made. She is out of control, except for her control of Nancy!” He wrote.

Trump has tweeted about Omar by name five times over the last month, each time with a negative attack.

The New York Times reported that the attacks are a deliberate attempt by Trump to rile up his racist base of supporters to shore up his weak poll numbers. The paper noted Trump’s history of anti-Muslim attacks and noted, “with 19 months until the 2020 election, Mr. Trump is seeking to rally his base by sounding that theme once again.”

Trump is scheduled to visit Omar’s home state of Minnesota and is expected to once again use his presidential bully pulpit to whip up rage, possibly with deadly consequences.

White House officials are justifying the abuse.

Trump “should be calling out the congresswoman,” said press secretary Sarah Sanders on ABC’s “This Week,” continuing the lie about Rep. Omar said. “I think that it’s a good thing that the president is calling her out for those comments.”

Marc Lotter, an adviser to Trump’s re-election campaign, told CNN that the manufactured outrage about Omar is justified.

Congressional Republicans are on board as well, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), who has been pushing the lies about Omar.

And a Trump supporter has already been arrested for making death threats against Omar. After Trump attacked Omar and called for her removal from Congress over comments critical of Israel, the supporter called Omar’s office and accused her of working “for the Muslim Brotherhood.” He also called Omar a terrorist and threatened to “put a bullet in her [expletive] skull.”

Trump likes to attack Muslims.

While running for president he called for a ban on Muslim travel to the United States, and while in office tried to enact that policy. He falsely claimed that Muslims in New Jersey celebrated the 9/11 attacks and that he had seen them do so. “I think Islam hates us,” Trump told CNN in 2016.

Now in the presidency, Trump has renewed his disgraceful crusade against the Islamic faith and seeks to direct danger toward congresswoman Omar to do so.

If someone is hurt or killed in the process, he doesn’t care.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.