On Monday, House caucus members Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar held a press conference. The conference occurred in response to very critical tweets which President Trump published over the weekend. In the aforementioned tweets, Trump slammed the four congresswomen, a.k.a. "The Squad."

Ultimately, the president stated that these caucus members should return to their countries of origin, improve the state of these countries and then come back to America. "The Squad" and other Democrats subsequently branded President Trump as racist.

During yesterday's press conference, Rep. Pressley stated that she will never refer to Donald Trump as president of the United States.

Why Won't Pressley Refer to Trump as the President?

By her own admission, Pressley believes the commander-in-chief lacks the proper values of a United States president. The congresswoman stated this outlook as the reason behind her refusal to refer to the president as the president.

In Pressley's own words:

"We are grateful for your solidarity, your encouragement and your support in the face of the most recent xenophobic, bigoted remarks from the occupant of our White House. I will always refer to him as the occupant as he is only occupying space. He does not embody the grace, the empathy, the compassion, the integrity that that office requires and that the American people deserve."

Response from President Trump

The president has faced immense backlash since his tweets about "The Squad." In spite of this censure, Trump isn't backing down whatsoever. As a matter of fact, the president has further elaborated, taking to Twitter to explain himself and his positions on Reps. Pressley, Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Omar. Trump also denied claims that he is racist.

In the president's own words:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1151103647637487616

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1151129281134768128

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1151129281919102976

Despite the statements from President Trump, his critics continue to refer to him as a racist. Certain right-wing figures, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, encouraged the president to focus on criticizing the congresswomen on their policies. Trump, however, claims that the words and action of "The Squad" convinced him that they harbor hatred for America.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1151089268535767042

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1151089269538217984

Reps. Pressley, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, and Tlaib have ongoingly censured the president and called for his impeachment, even prior to last weekend's tweets.