This week, Donald Trump's tweets made the news again—this time, for attacking what’s become known as “The Squad” of progressive women of color in Congress. His remarks were aimed at Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib.
Despite the fact that all of these women are American citizens, and all but one of them were born on U.S. soil, he told them to leave the country and “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” On Wednesday, he doubled down on his attacks, encouraging his followers to chant “send her back” in reference to Ilhan Omar at a rally.
Throughout the week, supporters have been coming out in force on Twitter to stand against racism and hatred, and they show no signs of slowing down. Hashtags like #TheSquad, #RacistPresident, and #IStandWithIlhan have been trending over recent days.
Parkland shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg stepped up to defend The Squad’s patriotism.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay offered some words of encouragement.
Activist and writer Shaun King had some pointed comments about conservatives who chose to stay silent about the president’s rant.
Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. took a cue from the Onion and was welcomed into the fold.
Thousands of other Twitter users stepped up to express their love and admiration for the four women, praising them for standing their ground.
Some compared The Squad’s policies to Trump’s political approach.
Other found the four women took the words right out of their mouths.
Some users thought the rest of the Democrats could stand to take a page from The Squad’s book.
It’s clear The Squad is bigger than just four policymakers—millions of voters are standing behind their work.
Users took the opportunity to turn Trump’s words back on him, making jokes about “going back where he came from.”
A few even imagined what Trump’s own “squad” might look like—and it wasn’t pretty.
And, of course, some users let their creative sides shine, using the opportunity to create fan art of the group (even putting together some custom LEGO minifigures)!
Despite the ongoing feud with the president, it’s clear The Squad are feeling the love!
More than 100,000 people “checked in” on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s post—it’s probably safe to say she’s not worried about the controversy.