Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday defended President Trump’s tweets attacking congresswomen of color and said the comments weren’t racist, but “more narcissism than anything else.”
According to Fox News’ Jason Donner and confirmed by NBC News, the South Carolina Republican said, “I really do believe that if you’re a Somali refugee who likes Trump, he’s not gonna say go back to Somalia. A racist says go back to Somalia because you’re Somali or Muslim or whatever. That’s just the way he is. It’s more narcissism than anything else.”
Mr. Trump drew controversy Sunday for comments telling Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan to go back to their “broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
Three of the women were born in the United States, and Ms. Omar, who was born in Somalia, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Despite lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemning the comments, Mr. Graham has jumped to Mr. Trump’s aid, telling Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” Monday that the squad, as they have been dubbed, are “a bunch of communists” that “hate our own country.”
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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