Trump criticizes Ocasio-Cortez in demeaning terms after she floats impeachment

President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and two female colleagues after she floated impeaching him over his decision to bomb Iran without consulting Congress.

In a lengthy post on his Truth Social network, Trump criticized Ocasio-Cortez in demeaning terms, insulting her intelligence and appearance, while also taking swipes at Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, and Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas.

“Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the ‘dumbest’ people in Congress, is now calling for my Impeachment, despite the fact that the Crooked and Corrupt Democrats have already done that twice before,” Trump wrote, later labeling her “The Mouse.”

Trump’s post came three days after Ocasio-Cortez said Trump’s decision to strike Iran without seeking congressional approval is “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.” Most Democratic lawmakers have criticized Trump for bypassing them in making the decision, though few have suggested impeaching him over it.

Ocasio-Cortez responded to Trump’s attack in a social media post.

“Mr. President, don’t take your anger out on me – I’m just a silly girl,” she wrote on X. “Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war. It only took you 5 months to break almost every promise you made.”

Trump’s comments were the latest example of the president using degrading language to target his political opponents, especially Democratic women. In the same post, Trump argued that Ocasio-Cortez is unfit for office but “far more qualified than Crockett, who is a seriously Low IQ individual.”

Trump also compared Ocasio-Cortez to Omar, whom he said “does nothing but complain about our Country, yet the Failed Country that she comes from doesn’t have a Government, is drenched in Crime and Poverty, and is rated one of the WORST in the World, if it’s even rated at all.”

Omar is an immigrant from Somalia who fled the country with her family when she was a child. She is the first African refugee to serve in Congress.

Omar’s office declined to comment. Crockett did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In Congress, Democratic leaders have largely kept their distance from calls to impeach Trump, both before and after the Iran airstrikes that he ordered. Democratic Reps. Shri Thanedar, D-Michigan, and Al Green, D-Texas, have been most vocal in pushing for Trump’s impeachment, and Green announced Tuesday that he would file an article of impeachment over Trump’s “illegal and unconstitutional war with Iran.”

The renewed talk of impeaching Trump has excited Republicans, who see the issue as a political loser for Democrats.

“House Democrats are providing Americans just a small preview of what a Democratic House majority would bring: distractions, division, and nonstop Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Tuesday in a statement after Green’s announcement.

The House, then under Democratic leadership, impeached Trump twice during his first term, first on charges of abusing his power and obstructing Congress, and then over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. In both cases, the GOP-led Senate voted to acquit Trump.

Both Ocasio-Cortez and Crockett have been some of the most vocal and prolific critics of Trump in his second term, traveling the country to mobilize opposition to him. With Ocasio-Cortez, however, Trump is confronting a fellow New Yorker who represents two boroughs – Bronx and Queens, where he grew up – in the House.

Trump said Tuesday she “should go back home to Queens … and straighten out her filthy, disgusting, crime ridden streets.” (Crime in New York City is in fact significantly lower than in many other urban environments.)

Ocasio-Cortez responded by highlighting her roots in the area.

“I’m a Bronx girl,” she wrote on X. “You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully.”