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Sacramento conservative leader calls Trump's tweets 'silly,' not racist

The Democratic-led House voted Tuesday night to condemn President Donald Trump's "racist comments" against four congresswomen of color.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Democratic-led House voted Tuesday night to condemn President Donald Trump's "racist comments" against four congresswomen of color. 

Phil Cowan of AM 1380 The Answer joined ABC10 in studio to discuss the historic moment.

Cowan: "I was one early on with the tweets... I just couldn't figure it out. I thought, 'Would you please just stop. Know when enough is enough and leave it alone.' But I've come to appreciate the strategic value of the tweets. He tweets first thing in the morning, and he knows it will dominate the news cycle all day long."

The feud started over the weekend when President Trump tweeted, "Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." 

Trump was referring to four elected officials -- all women of color -- all American citizens.

RELATED: House condemns Trump 'racist' tweets in extraordinary rebuke

Cowan: "This one, in particular, was extremely ham-handed. To lump in three native Americans with a woman who is, in fact, an immigrant was silly. I don't think it's racist. I really don't."

The House voted 240-187 with four Republicans joining Democrats in condemning the president's language as indeed racist. All of our local representatives voted along party lines.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) released the following statement after deciding not to condemn comments made by Trump, indicating that four women of color who serve in the United States Congress should "go back" to where they came from:

"While Democrats apply a double standard to the President's tweets that they do not apply to the actions of their own members, (such as refusing to condemn anti-Semitic statements or Al Qaeda) I will not play along. The President is not a racist, and those who would suggest otherwise are knowingly mischaracterizing his comments."

Rep. Josh Harder (D-Turlock) released the following statement after voting to condemn the comments:

"One of the things that makes America exceptional is that we come from everywhere. The color of our skin does not define if we are American. Folks in the Central Valley get that – we're Portuguese and Indian – Assyrian and Mexican – we're a land of a hundred nations. That makes us stronger. Every American deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Period. It doesn't matter what you look like, how you worship, or where you were born. We need our leaders to lead – and that means focusing on what brings us together, not what divides us. The president seems more interested in attacking folks based on what they look like rather than rallying all Americans to face our shared challenges. That's a shame – and we sent that message today."

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