Trump to congresswomen: ‘If you’re not happy here, you can leave’

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks on four progressive Democratic congresswomen on Monday, saying if they´re not happy in the United States, "they can leave."

"All they do is complain," Trump told reporters gathered at the White House for a "Made in America" event.

"These are people that hate our country," he added.

"If you´re not happy here, you can leave."

Trump also accused the four Democrats, all of whom are women of color, of having "love" for US "enemies like Al-Qaeda."

Trump spoke out a day after launching xenophobic attacks on the progressive congresswomen on Twitter, saying they should "go back" to the countries they came from.

He did not identify the women by name in his initial attack although on Monday he made it clear he was referring to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who is of Puerto Rican origin, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who is of Somali origin.

The attacks also appeared to target Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who is African-American.

Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Pressley were all born in the United States while Omar came to the United States from war-torn Somalia when she was a child.

"These are people that hate our country," Trump said.

"They hate it, I think, with a passion. Now, it´s possible I´m wrong. The voter will decide."