Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offered a lengthy reply Sunday afternoon to an earlier tweet by President Donald Trump, in which he argued that progressive Democrats like the New York congresswoman "originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe" and that they should "go back" to "fix" those countries.
In her response — also put out on Twitter — the former bartender and community activist pointed out what many others already tried to tell the president: that she, like many of her progressive colleagues, was born in the U.S.
"Mr. President, the country I 'come from,' & the country we all swear to, is the United States," wrote Ocasio-Cortez, who was born in New York.
The outspoken congresswoman then continued, accusing the Trump administration of being corrupt.
"But given how you've destroyed our border with inhumane camps, all at a benefit to you & the corps who profit off them, you are absolutely right about the corruption laid at your feet," she tweeted.
Ocasio-Cortez then referenced the other members of the so-called "Squad" of first-term progressive Democratic lawmakers, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Massachusetts' Ayanna Pressley. Despite Trump's claim in his tweet, only one of these progressives was born outside of the U.S. — Omar, who has lived in America since she was about 10 years old.
"You are angry because you don't believe in an America where I represent New York 14," tweeted Ocasio-Cortez, referencing her congressional district, "where the good people of Minnesota elected @IlhanMN, where @RashidaTlaib fights for Michigan families, where @AyannaPressley champions little girls in Boston."
She continued: "You are angry because you can't conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder."
That remark echoed what Ocasio-Cortez's fellow progressive, former Tallahassee, Florida, Mayor Andrew Gillum, had said earlier in the day on CNN, when he accused Trump of trying instill fear in both people of color and in his largely white voter base, all for political gain.
The congresswoman still had more to say to Trump.
"You won't accept a nation that sees healthcare as a right or education as a #1 priority, especially where we're the ones fighting for it," she tweeted. "Yet here we are."
Ocasio-Cortez concluded by asking Trump a rhetorical question:
"But you know what's the rub of it all, Mr. President?" she asked. "On top of not accepting an America that elected us, you cannot accept that we don't fear you, either."
And finally: "You can't accept that we will call your bluff & offer a positive vision for this country. And that's what makes you seethe."
Trump's original tweet has been heavily criticized by members of Congress, even some who have had tense relationships with Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives seeking to push the party further to the political left.
Nancy Pelosi, who has made little effort to disguise her feelings toward the progressives, nonetheless came out against the Trump tweet.
"When @realDonaldTrump tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to 'Make America Great Again' has always been about making America white again," she wrote.
"When I call the president a racist, this is what I'm talking about," tweeted Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
