President Trump on Tuesday ramped up his attacks on Rep. Rashida Tlaib after the Michigan Democrat got emotional at a press conference criticizing Israel over its decision to bar her from entering the country last week.
“Sorry, I don’t buy Rep. Tlaib’s tears,” Trump tweeted after Tlaib spoke out the previous day about Israel’s decision. “I have watched her violence, craziness and, most importantly, WORDS, for far too long. Now tears?”
Trump again claimed that Tlaib “hates Israel and all Jewish people,” and called her an “anti-Semite.”
The president has repeatedly attacked Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) after the two congresswomen were denied entry to Israel for their support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against the country. Trump had suggested Israel would look “weak” if it allowed the congresswomen to enter.{mosads}
Tlaib, who is Palestinian American and an outspoken Trump critic, later requested and was granted a waiver to visit her grandmother in the West Bank. She reversed course a day later after speaking with her family and announced she would not go.
Tlaib and Omar held a joint press conference on Monday denouncing Israel’s decision to bar them from the country. Tlaib teared up as she spoke about growing up in Israel and recounting her family’s experiences.
“As a young girl visiting Palestine to visit my family I watched as my mother had to go through dehumanizing checkpoints even though she was a United States citizen and proud American,” Tlaib said, becoming emotional.
Omar suggested that lawmakers reconsider the annual U.S. aid allocated to Israel after they were prohibited from entering.
Trump’s tweets on Tuesday came after coverage of the press conference played out on Fox News throughout the morning.
Tlaib and Omar have been accused of using anti-Semitic tropes in speaking critically of Israel.
Omar drew criticism when she suggested lawmakers support Israel because of money from lobbyists and was rebuked again when she claimed those who back the territory harbor “dual loyalty.”
Tlaib has supported the BDS movement and drew backlash from conservatives earlier this year for comments about the Holocaust when she said it gave her a “calming feeling” to think of persecuted Jews finding safe haven in Israel.
The president and his allies have sought to elevate Tlaib, Omar and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) as the faces of the Democratic Party. Trump often singles the congresswomen out at rallies, and sparked a firestorm last month when he said the four — all U.S. citizens — should “go back” to their countries.