SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) asks questions during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 27, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump on Friday night launched what critics condemned as a mocking and dehumanizing attack on Rep. Rashida Tlaib and her 90-year-old grandmother after the Michigan congresswoman refused to visit Israel under restrictive conditions set by the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Israel was very respectful and nice to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, allowing her permission to visit her 'grandmother,'" Trump tweeted. "As soon as she was granted permission, she grandstanded and loudly proclaimed she would not visit Israel. Could this possibly have been a setup? Israel acted appropriately!"
Observers were quick to note the president's use of scare quotes around grandmother, which journalist Mairav Zonszein said is "fully in line with the total dehumanization of Palestinians, to the point that you have literally erased their existence from your vile mind."
\u201cPutting "grandmother" in quotes is fully in line with the total dehumanization of Palestinians, to the point that you have literally erased their existence from your vile mind.\u201d— Mairav Zonszein \u05de\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d9\u05df (@Mairav Zonszein \u05de\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d9\u05df) 1565996206
"He really put 'grandmother' in quotes like Palestinians are incapable of having family members," added writer Rebecca Pierce.
Trump went on to claim that Tlaib's refusal to accept Israel's conditions for the trip--which included agreeing to not promote boycott activities--was a "complete setup" and suggest Tlaib's grandmother, who lives under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, might be happy not to see her granddaughter.
\u201cRep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib\u2019s grandmother. She doesn\u2019t have to see her now!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1565995059
In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, Tlaib's grandmother, Muftiyah Tlaib, said she is proud of her granddaughter for acting on principle.
"Who wouldn't be proud of a granddaughter like that?" said Muftiyah Tlaib. "I love her and am so proud of her."
Asked about Trump's attacks on her granddaughter, Tlaib's grandmother said, "I don't know him. I don't care."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
President Donald Trump on Friday night launched what critics condemned as a mocking and dehumanizing attack on Rep. Rashida Tlaib and her 90-year-old grandmother after the Michigan congresswoman refused to visit Israel under restrictive conditions set by the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Israel was very respectful and nice to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, allowing her permission to visit her 'grandmother,'" Trump tweeted. "As soon as she was granted permission, she grandstanded and loudly proclaimed she would not visit Israel. Could this possibly have been a setup? Israel acted appropriately!"
Observers were quick to note the president's use of scare quotes around grandmother, which journalist Mairav Zonszein said is "fully in line with the total dehumanization of Palestinians, to the point that you have literally erased their existence from your vile mind."
\u201cPutting "grandmother" in quotes is fully in line with the total dehumanization of Palestinians, to the point that you have literally erased their existence from your vile mind.\u201d— Mairav Zonszein \u05de\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d9\u05df (@Mairav Zonszein \u05de\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d9\u05df) 1565996206
"He really put 'grandmother' in quotes like Palestinians are incapable of having family members," added writer Rebecca Pierce.
Trump went on to claim that Tlaib's refusal to accept Israel's conditions for the trip--which included agreeing to not promote boycott activities--was a "complete setup" and suggest Tlaib's grandmother, who lives under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, might be happy not to see her granddaughter.
\u201cRep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib\u2019s grandmother. She doesn\u2019t have to see her now!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1565995059
In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, Tlaib's grandmother, Muftiyah Tlaib, said she is proud of her granddaughter for acting on principle.
"Who wouldn't be proud of a granddaughter like that?" said Muftiyah Tlaib. "I love her and am so proud of her."
Asked about Trump's attacks on her granddaughter, Tlaib's grandmother said, "I don't know him. I don't care."
President Donald Trump on Friday night launched what critics condemned as a mocking and dehumanizing attack on Rep. Rashida Tlaib and her 90-year-old grandmother after the Michigan congresswoman refused to visit Israel under restrictive conditions set by the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Israel was very respectful and nice to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, allowing her permission to visit her 'grandmother,'" Trump tweeted. "As soon as she was granted permission, she grandstanded and loudly proclaimed she would not visit Israel. Could this possibly have been a setup? Israel acted appropriately!"
Observers were quick to note the president's use of scare quotes around grandmother, which journalist Mairav Zonszein said is "fully in line with the total dehumanization of Palestinians, to the point that you have literally erased their existence from your vile mind."
\u201cPutting "grandmother" in quotes is fully in line with the total dehumanization of Palestinians, to the point that you have literally erased their existence from your vile mind.\u201d— Mairav Zonszein \u05de\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d9\u05df (@Mairav Zonszein \u05de\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d9\u05df) 1565996206
"He really put 'grandmother' in quotes like Palestinians are incapable of having family members," added writer Rebecca Pierce.
Trump went on to claim that Tlaib's refusal to accept Israel's conditions for the trip--which included agreeing to not promote boycott activities--was a "complete setup" and suggest Tlaib's grandmother, who lives under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, might be happy not to see her granddaughter.
\u201cRep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib\u2019s grandmother. She doesn\u2019t have to see her now!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1565995059
In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, Tlaib's grandmother, Muftiyah Tlaib, said she is proud of her granddaughter for acting on principle.
"Who wouldn't be proud of a granddaughter like that?" said Muftiyah Tlaib. "I love her and am so proud of her."
Asked about Trump's attacks on her granddaughter, Tlaib's grandmother said, "I don't know him. I don't care."