So President Trump is undermining his own government now?

[phantom000]

Here is the story: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49363041

What gets me is Trump weighing in on this affair. If they want to bar two American representatives that is Israel's prerogative. But the President should not get involved unless they want to bar all Americans from visiting. It makes me wonder if a Republican also supported a boycott of Israel would Trump also encourage them to be barred as well?

Only Nixon could go to China but apparently Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib can't go to Israel.

[Deledrius]

As far as he's concerned, they aren't part of his government.

But yes, broadly speaking, he's been undermining his own government from day one.

[Beelzquill]

If by "undermining his own government" you mean not saying an allied country should allow people who are in the opposition party who oppose his government and at least partially oppose the allied country in question to visit said country then yes. Don't get me wrong, I don't support either action, the saying Israel shouldn't allow them in and Israel obviously not allowing them in.

Then again, I believe the democratic party has the majority in the House of Representatives so technically they can say they are the government, or at least half of one branch anyway. I don't know if this was some House of Representatives approved visit or something but it's not like they (Omar and Tlaib) represent the whole of either Congress or the United States here and Trump is allowed to have opinions.

Still I think Israel should have let them in even if just to say they let them in because by not allowing them in, Israel is playing to their hands. Also I think a country that expects so much foreign aid from the U.S. should as a general policy allow representatives that can vote on that aid in.

[Karha of Honor]

As far as he's concerned, they aren't part of his government.

But yes, broadly speaking, he's been undermining his own government from day one.

I am glad he is undermining the authority of the presidency and wish he was more than a senile insult comic.

[Mecha82]

This doesn't surprise me at all and it should surprise anyone. Trump isn't type to listen and allow others have opposing opinions so this is pretty much petty act. Then again we are talking about them going to Israel, country ruled by far right government that benefits from both aid from US and keeping conflict going.

[phantom000]

As far as he's concerned, they aren't part of his government.

That is what is driving me up the wall because they are part of his government. They were chosen by the citizens of the United States just like he was and so they represent the US just like him. So he should be supporting them, or at least not encouraging Israel to block them.

This attitude that they are not part of his government because they're democrats instead of republicans is what got us into the Civil War. That old saying 'before the Civil War people said the United States are but now we say the United States is' well this is what they are talking about.

[Darth Wedgius]

He's being as supportive of them as they have been supportive of him.

[Beelzquill]

They were elected by voters of a district so they personally only represent that district and it's constituents. No, Congress did not vote to send congressional "observers" to Israel and picked these two. These two individuals individually chose to go to a country they have been vocally critical of and are surprised they were not immediately allowed in and when one of them was allowed in, she threw a temper tantrum that's the equivalent of "I didn't want to go there anyway".

Again, I think they should have been allowed in and Trump shouldn't have advised Israel to ban them, but come on this is not sabotaging the U.S. government's directives in the slightest.