Donald Trump denies being racist as House condemns tweets in extraordinary rebuke
- US lawmakers vote 240-187 to push through resolution, after US president tells four congresswomen to ‘go back’ to their home countries
- Measure is embarrassing for Trump, but carries no legal repercussions
In a remarkable political repudiation, the Democratic-led House of Representatives voted on Tuesday night to condemn US President Donald Trump’s “racist comments” against four congresswomen, despite protestations by Trump’s Republican congressional allies and his own insistence he does not have “a racist bone in my body”.
Two days after Trump tweeted that four Democratic freshmen should “go back” to their home countries – though all are citizens and three were born in the US – Democrats muscled the resolution through the chamber by 240-187 over strong Republican opposition.
The rebuke was an embarrassing one for Trump, and he appealed to Republican lawmakers not to go along, but there were four Republican votes for the resolution.
The measure carries no legal repercussions for the president and the vote was highly partisan, so unlikely to affect his support.
Before the showdown roll-call, Trump characteristically plunged forward with time-tested insults.