In America, should some people be told to go back to their home country or do we all move forward together – disagreements and all? 

On Sunday, Pres. Trump tweeted out a series of remarks that some are characterizing as “racist” and “xenophobic.” In a series of three tweets, Trump commented: 

"So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.

“Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!” 

While Pres. Trump did not identify the target of his tweets, many assumed they were directed towards the four liberal, freshman congresswomen known as "the Squad": Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib.

Some argue that Mr. Trump was only talking about Rep. Omar, despite saying “congresswomen.” This contingency also points out that the last part of his tweet indicated these congresswomen should only come back once they find solutions. But only one of them, Rep. Omar, is actually from another country. The other three were born here in the U.S.

Others view the president’s remarks as reprehensible. Meghan McCain said: “This is racist…We don’t tell people we’ve welcomed into this country to ‘go back.’ ” David French of National Review tweeted: “I can think of few worse things for the soul of the GOP or the health and unity of our republic than adopting a strategy of ‘be racist to own the libs.’ ” 

In the U.S., disagreements have made us better and stronger. James Madison in the Federalist Papers noted that ambition counteracted ambition, implying that conflicting ideas and goals beneficially check the power of government. In his book Democracy: A Case Study, David Moss argues that conflict is a necessary force in maintaining a healthy democracy. Throughout the American experiment, the “fear that democracy was sick… was ultimately good for the political system because it promoted action and engagement.” 

Historically when our disagreements centered on ideas, we created a more perfect union. But when our disagreements devolved into character attacks, we neglected our better angels in an effort to demonize other people. Eleanor Roosevelt was right in this regard: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”

As Christians, we function as the conscience of the state and not the cheerleader of the state. We don’t spin events but proclaim truth. President Trump’s comments are problematic but they are also ambiguous. We don’t know who he was talking about but we do know that telling people to “go back to where they came from” has a troubled and evil history. 

We can disagree with ideas without disparaging the character of others. Our aim isn’t to sing Kumbaya around a fire but to respect everyone around the fire – regardless of their beliefs or nationality. We may not share their beliefs but we do share the same image of God. Rising above partisan politics, we shouldn’t tell them to “go back” but show them a heavenly way forward (1 Pet. 2:17, Titus 2:7, 1 Tim. 2: 1-3).