Trump tweeted within the last hour that Israel should absolutely deny entry to both Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib:
It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds. Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office. They are a disgrace!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 15, 2019
He’s not wrong. They are a disgrace and I’m hoping he’s right about the difficulty of next year’s elections for them.
As far as banning their entry, word is from Axios that Trump told his advisors that the two congresswomen should be banned last week:
Trump has told U.S. advisers, including senior Trump administration officials, that Israel should bar Omar and Tlaib’s entry because the two congresswomen favor a boycott of Israel, according to sources familiar with Trump’s private comments. In 2017, Israel’s parliament passed a law requiring the interior minister to block foreign nationals from entering Israel if they have supported boycotting the Jewish state.
But, Trump is saying that he NEVER gave Israel any directive to do such a thing. He just disagreed with Ron Dermer’s reasoning for why they should be allowed:
Trump denies, through White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, ever giving any kind of directive to the Israelis. “The Israeli government can do what they want. It’s fake news,” Grisham said on Saturday.
Axios reports that Democrats had pressured Dermer to allow Omar and Tlaib to visit, threatening to boycott AIPAC if they were denied entry.
Also you should know that Israeli officials have just announced that Omar and Tlaib will be denied entry.
#BREAKING Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely
announces that Reps. Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib will be barred from entering the country— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) August 15, 2019