President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar resign from Congress over a series of remarks she has made that many view as anti-Semitic.
“I think she should either resign from Congress or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” Trump told reporters in the Cabinet Room. “Anti-Semitism has no place in the United States Congress.”
Rep. Omar currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
He also called her apology for her remarks “lame,” adding that her views on Jewish people and Israel are “deep-seated in her heart” and that she “didn’t mean” her apology.
Omar has been criticized for making a series of anti-Israel comments and for apparently advancing anti-Semitic conspiracies and stereotypes. The freshman Democrat earned widespread condemnation Monday when she accused a pro-Israel lobbying group of buying support for the American ally and retweeted someone who compared her comments to calling Jewish people “hook-nosed.”
Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, denounced Omar’s comments, and she eventually issued a statement. (RELATED: Omar Releases Statement After Backlash Surrounding Tweet Accusing AIPAC Of Buying Israel Support)
“Anti-Semitism is real, and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole,” she said. “At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry. It’s gone on too long and we must be willing to address it.”
The president also criticized Omar on Monday night while flying to a rally in El Paso, Texas. Trump said she should be “ashamed of herself” and urged her to produce a better apology than the one she gave.