Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King, who has a history of controversial statements on immigration and race, is drawing condemnation for a Sunday tweet in support of a right-wing Dutch politician, in which King wrote, “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”
Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies. https://t.co/4nxLipafWO
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) March 12, 2017
King’s tweet came in support of Geert Wilders, a Dutch parliamentarian who hopes to lead that country’s government in Wednesday’s elections. Wilders has called for banning the Quran in the Netherlands and shutting down mosques.
That has led to a series of statements and tweets slamming King. Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said, “I do not agree with Congressman King’s statement. We are a nation of immigrants, and diversity is the strength of any nation and any community.”
Conservative commentator Bill Kristol tweeted: “Is it worth making the obvious point that what American history has been about is ‘restoring’ ourselves with ‘somebody else’s babies?’ ”
Is it worth making the obvious point that what American history has been about is “restoring” ourselves with “somebody else’s babies?” https://t.co/DZAjW670Ur
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) March 12, 2017
NBC News special correspondent Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation, sounded a similar note:
“somebody elses babies” are in US mil uniforms and in harm’s way. volunteers to protect America.
Cong King, please!— Tom Brokaw (@tombrokaw) March 13, 2017
But King also has his supporters, including former KKK grand wizard David Duke, who tweeted “GOD BLESS STEVE KING!!! #TruthRISING.” Duke also suggested “sanity reigns supreme” in King’s congressional district.
GOD BLESS STEVE KING!!! #TruthRISING https://t.co/oDFel8JDrP
— David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) March 12, 2017
Duke’s support seemed to spur the response from Kaufmann, the Iowa GOP chairman, which came under the heading: “David Duke isn’t welcome in Iowa.”
And King himself refused to back away from the tweet. On CNN Monday morning, King said, “I meant exactly what I said,” and that he’d “like to see an America that’s just so homogeneous that we look a lot the same, from that perspective.”
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