Article snippet: WASHINGTON — After two days of racially charged attacks by President Trump urging them to leave the country, four Democratic congresswomen of color on Monday defiantly declared they would not back down. The lawmakers who proudly call themselves “the Squad” – Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib — proclaimed their devotion to the United States and urged Americans not to let Trump use the controversy to distract from what they called his “hateful” policies. “We ran on a mandate to advocate for, to represent those ignored, left out, and left behind. Our squad is big,” Pressley, who represents Boston, said at a news conference at the Capitol building. “And given the size of this squad and this great nation, we can not, we will not be silenced. “This is a distraction and we should not take the bait,” Pressley said. But Trump spent a second day attacking the four lawmakers, using incendiary rhetoric that he believes is welcomed by his voters leading up to the 2020 election. “It doesn’t concern me because many people agree with me,’’ Trump said at the White House. ‘‘A lot of people love it, by the way.’’ In particular, he focused on Omar, claiming she had ‘‘hatred’’ for Israel and falsely accused her of proclaiming “love” for Al Qaeda. Of the four lawmakers, Trump said, ‘‘These are people that, in my opinion, hate our country.’’ But even some Republicans, including Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and former gover... Link to the full article to read more