Stunning behavior, even by Trumpian standards, as Donald Trump urged Israel—by tweet, of course—not to allow Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to visit the country. According to Trump, “It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit.” He literally urged a foreign government to bar duly elected members of the United States Congress from visiting in an official capacity. Oh, but there’s more.
“They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds.” This from the man who is outraged, outraged that people call him racist because of all his racist words and behaviors, words and behaviors that have outstripped by miles anything Tlaib or Omar has said about Israel or heaven knows about “all Jewish people.” Oh, but there’s more.
Trump tweeted his demand about an hour after White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham insisted that “The Israeli government can do what it wants” and called reports that Trump had pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bar them from visiting “inaccurate.”
Netanyahu is reportedly considering banning Omar and Tlaib, or, as an unnamed Israeli official told Politico, “there is a possibility that Israel will not allow the visit in its current proposed format.” Other reports claim Netanyahu has made a final decision to ban them. This is happening after “Last month, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress” and after the reports that Trump was pressing for the ban.
To sum up: Donald Trump is pressing a foreign country to ban members of the U.S. Congress from visiting in an official capacity because he has personal beef with those officials (namely that they are women of color who dared to criticize him), and is falsely accusing those officials of extreme levels of bigotry that they have in no way displayed, and is doing so an hour after his press secretary said that he was not pressing a foreign country to ban U.S. congresswomen. And said foreign country is considering doing what Trump wants on this and/or just doesn’t want to allow critics in anyway.