Rashida Tlaib avoids conversing with individuals who use racist stereotypes

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) on Thursday refused to condemn recent chants of  “death to America” and “death to Israel” from protesters in her district, instead accusing Fox News of using “racist tropes.”

“I don’t talk to Fox News. I don’t talk to people who use racist tropes,” Tlaib said when a Fox News reporter asked her whether she would condemn the anti-America and anti-Israel chants at a rally last Friday in Dearborn, Mich.

“Why are you afraid to talk to Fox?” the reporter asked Tlaib, to which the congresswoman replied, “Using racist tropes towards my community is what Fox News is about, and I don’t talk to Fox News. … You guys know exactly what you do. I know you are Islamophobic.”

Tlaib’s remarks came after she has repeatedly defended Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), a fellow “Squad” member with a history of engaging in anti-Semitic rhetoric, such as accusing politicians of having “dual loyalty” to Israel and saying political support for the Jewish state is “all about the Benjamins.” “The GOP is now doing what it’s best at—weaponizing hate against a black, beautiful, Muslim woman,” Tlaib said in a speech in February 2023 before the House voted to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee over her anti-Semitic comments.

Tlaib has also come under fire for publishing an article in 2006 on The Final Call, a blog founded and run by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who “has a long history of anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and homophobic tirades,” according to Business Insider.

In November, the Michigan Democrat spoke at an event hosted by Muslim groups known for being anti-Semitic and supporting Hamas. The executive director at one of the groups, American Muslims for Palestine, called Jewish people “despicable” and praised Hamas terrorists as “martyrs.”

Tlaib also employed at least six “terror-linked activists who all served as cohosts for fundraisers for her 2018 congressional campaign,” according to a watchdog report.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday denounced the chants in Tlaib’s district. Dearborn mayor Abdullah Hammoud (D.) also criticized the chants as “unacceptable and contrary to the heart of this city,” adding that “we reject all inflammatory and violent statements made at the gathering.”