Conservative journalist Salena Zito argued on Sunday that “both sides” are at fault for a racist tweet from President Donald Trump.

In a rant on Twitter on Sunday, the president suggested that four non-white congresswomen should “go back” to their country of origin — even though three of them were born in the United States.

Zito asserted that “both” Republicans and Democrats were responsible for the conditions that led to the tweet.

Raw Story is now on Instagram. Get our latest stories and
exclusive videos. Click to follow!

“I wish I had just stayed in church instead of hearing [Trump’s tweets],” Zito lamented. “Here’s the unfortunate thing — there’s two unfortunate things — that we are so polarized right now that even if you are a Trump supporter and you don’t like what he says, you may not say anything at all, pushback at all or may not even see it as racist.”

Zito suggested that the tweet might not be seen as racist because Trump offered to allow the four congresswomen to “come back” to the U.S. after they fixed their countries of origin.

“I just think that we are so polarized, I don’t know that this moves anything,” she opined. “And I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. I’m just saying that’s where we are today.”

Zito continued: “And the really frustrating thing is the state of immigration on both sides. Washington can’t even have an effective way of discussing it because you look at the protests, you look at the possible ICE deportations and no one is talking meaningfully about how we fix this.”

Earlier, CNN coverage had correctly labeled the president’s tweet as “straight-up racist.”

Watch the video below from CNN.

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We’ve launched a weekly podcast, “We’ve Got Issues,” focused on issues, not tweets. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. We’re not part of a conglomerate, or a project of venture capital bros. From unflinching coverage of racism, to revealing efforts to erode our rights, Raw Story will continue to expose hypocrisy and harm. Unhinged from billionaires and corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support to keep producing quality journalism and deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We’ve launched a weekly podcast, “We’ve Got Issues,” focused on issues, not tweets. Unlike other news sites, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. We’re not part of a conglomerate, or a project of venture capital bros. From unflinching coverage of racism, to revealing efforts to erode our rights, Raw Story will continue to expose hypocrisy and harm. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support to keep producing quality journalism and deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.