Rashida Tlaib listens during a House Oversight and Reform Committee meeting, on Capitol Hill in Washington. File / AP

Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat and daughter of Palestinian immigrants, was one of four congresswomen of colour who were targeted in a Trump Twitter barrage over the weekend.

Trump said the women should go back to the "broken and crime infested" places they came from, ignoring the fact that all are American citizens and three, including Tlaib, were born in the US. Trump also accused them of saying "terrible things" about the US and said they "hate Israel."

LOCAL HERO

Although Tlaib has never lived in the West Bank, she still has relatives in the area and is widely seen as a local hero for making her way to the highest levels of American government.

Bassam Tlaib, an uncle of the congresswoman who lives in the West Bank, called the president's comments "a racist statement meant to target Rashida because she has Palestinian roots."

"This statement proves that Trump is anti-Palestinian, anti-Islam and completely biased toward Israel," he added.

Ibrahim Milhim, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, said Trump's statement is an "insult" to the office of the presidency and the laws of the US

"It's an insult to the Statue of Liberty, America's most famous symbol, an insult to the American values where migrants from all over the world are united as one nation under one law," he said.

Associated Press