Merkel decries Trump rant against minority congresswomen

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decried US President Donald Trump’s racist tweets against four minority congresswomen, saying his remarks “go against what makes America great.”

According to Press TV, Merkel told reporters on Friday “I firmly distance myself from (the attacks) and I feel solidarity toward” the women.

“In my view, the strength of America lies in [the fact] that people from different (origins) contributed to what makes the country great,” she said.

Trump adopted the slogan “Make America Great Again” for his 2016 presidential campaign and has been using it since his victory in the election that year.

On Sunday, the US president tweeted that the congresswomen — three of them Muslims and all of them critical of his administration — should “go back” to the “broken and crime infested [sic]” countries they originally came from if they were not happy in the United States.

The tweets prompted domestic uproar and were deemed racist by members of the House of Representatives, among many others.

Trump, however, repeatedly renewed his attack.

The remarks also drew international condemnation. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she “utterly” disagreed with Trump.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Theresa May also denounced Trump’s attacks on the four women.

Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the two politicians who are competing to succeed May, also joined the prime minister in condemning Trump.

European Council President Donald Tusk also took issue with Trump on Thursday.

ME