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OPPOSITES: President Donald Trump and Barack Obama

FOLLOWING A series of controversial comments from President Donald Trump, 148 African Americans who previously served in Obama's administration have written an op-ed condemning the US leader's disconcerting attitude towards four democratic congresswomen colour.

Former President Barack Obama, praised members of his former administration for "continuing to fight for an America that's better”.

On Saturday (Jul 27), he tweeted: "I've always been proud of what this team accomplished during my administration. But more than what we did, I'm proud of how they're continuing to fight for an America that's better.” His tweet was followed by a link to the article, which was shared with his 107.4 million Twitter followers.

The op-ed, which was published by The Washington Post and entitled We are African Americans, saw the Obama administration vow to stand up against racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia wielded by the president and any elected official complicit in the poisoning of our democracy.

They wrote: “There is truly nothing more un-American than calling on fellow citizens to leave our country – by citing their immigrant roots, or ancestry, or their unwillingness to sit in quiet obedience while democracy is being undermined.

"We stand with congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, as well as all those currently under attack by President Trump.

"Expect to hear more from us. We plan to leave this country better than we found it. This is our home."

By tradition, former president’s often refrain from criticising their successor, but no such convention exists for former first lady’s.

Michelle Obama tweeted: “What truly makes our country great is its diversity. I’ve seen that beauty in so many ways over the years.

“Whether we are born here or seek refuge here, there’s a place for us all. We must remember it’s not my America or your America. It’s our America.”

Earlier this month, Trump told the four progressive congresswomen- Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib - to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

The congresswomen were born in the US and the fourth - Omar - a naturalised US citizen.

On Saturday (Jul 27), Trump also launched a new attack on Democratic Rep and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Elijah E Cummings, tweeting that his Baltimore district is a “disgusting, rat, and rodent infested mess”.

“If racist Elijah Cummings would focus more of his energy on helping the good people of his district, and Baltimore itself, perhaps progress could be made in fixing the mess that he has helped to create over many years of incompetent leadership,” Mr. Trump wrote. “His radical ‘oversight’ is a joke!”

Mr. Cummings, Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats fired back, as did The Baltimore Sun, which published a blistering editorial defending its hometown.

They wrote: “We would tell the most dishonest man to ever occupy the Oval Office, the mocker of war heroes, the gleeful grabber of women’s private parts, the serial bankrupter of businesses, the useful idiot of Vladimir Putin and the guy who insisted there are ‘good people’ among murderous neo-Nazis that he’s still not fooling most Americans into believing he’s even slightly competent in his current post or that he possesses a scintilla of integrity.

“Better to have some vermin living in your neighborhood than to be one.”

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