Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) Monday accused President Donald Trump of having a tendency to target women and people of color for his ire.
Waters spoke uninterrupted for almost four minutes on MSNBC’s "The Beat" about the Trump Administration’s handling of the aftermath of Army Sgt. La David Johnson’s death in Niger. She called on Trump and his Chief of Staff John Kelly to apologize to widow Myeshia Johnson and Rep. Frederica Wilson (D., Fla.), going on to criticize Trump’s disrespect for women and minorities in general.
"He seems to have this tendency to talk down to people of color, to treat them with disrespect, and I think this adds to it," Waters said. "First of all, he called [Wilson] wacky. Secondly, that he didn't back down, that he simply talked about her in a way that was not respectful—I think that yes, I think this adds to the suspicion of him and the way that he thinks about minorities and black people in particular."
She said Kelly was also wrong in her criticism of Wilson’s 2015 speech, and she said she had the backing of the Congressional Black Caucus in saying the Trump Administration needs to do more to respect black women.
"All of the women of the Congressional Black Caucus have come together and we're demanding an apology," she said. "We're sick and tired of women being undermined, dismissed, and black women, in particular, being called names."
Waters also criticized Trump’s overall leadership.
"He has the most distorted leadership of any president I've ever known or heard about," Waters said. "Here he had the opportunity to make the condolence call, to do it properly, to recognize this family and their grieving, and also to know the name of the soldier who had been killed."
"It is so unconscionable in the way that he manages his leadership," she added.
Waters also said Kelly’s credibility has been damaged.
"General Kelly has had a good career, and to have his career basically undermined by the president of the United States because he's trying to protect the president and stand up for the president when the president did not deserve to be stood up for, now he's damaged himself," Waters said. "He needs to call the congresswoman and apologize."