GOP senator calls Ocasio-Cortez and other freshman congresswomen the ‘four horsewomen of the Apocalypse’

GOP Sen. John Kennedy (La.) late Tuesday slammed the group of minority progressive congresswomen who have been the target of President Trump’s recent “go back” tweets, calling them the “four horsewomen of the Apocalypse.”

“The simple fact of the matter is, the four congresswomen think that America was wicked in its origins. They think that America and its people are even more wicked now, that we are all racist and misogynistic and evil,” Kennedy told Fox News’s Tucker Carlson.

{mosads}He added: “They’re entitled to their opinion. They’re Americans. But I’m entitled to my opinion, and I just think they’re left-wing cracks, and they’re the reason there are directions on a shampoo bottle. I think we should ignore them.”

Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (Minn.) — a group known as “The Squad” — were the targets of Trump’s Sunday tweets calling on the lawmakers to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

Kennedy late Tuesday called the group “whack jobs” who are “destroying the Democratic Party.”

“I think the American people are getting a little tired of it,” he said.

Trump tweeted Kennedy’s comments early Wednesday morning.

“In America, if you hate our Country, you are free to leave. The simple fact of the matter is, the four Congresswomen think that America is wicked in its origins, they think that America is even more wicked now, that we are all racist and evil. They’re entitled to their…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2019

While Democratic lawmakers have swiftly decried the president for his remarks, GOP leadership has denied claims that Trump and his tweets were racist, and all but four House Republicans voted against a resolution condemning the tweets that ultimately gained the lower chamber’s approval.

Kennedy told Carlson that he didn’t think Trump or his comments were racist, but added that he’s “not sure the president should exchange playground insults” with the lawmakers.

“Look, I’ve told the president before,” Kennedy said. “I’ve said, ‘Mr. President, tweeting less would not cause brain damage.’ But he’s decided that this is the way that he wants to communicate.”

Trump has continued to stand by his comments and ramped up his attacks on Monday, saying the women “hate our country,” harbor hatred toward Jews and love terrorist groups, adding that they’re “free to leave” the U.S. if they choose.

He doubled down Tuesday, saying they can “go wherever they want, or they can stay. But they should love our country. They shouldn’t hate our country.”