“Look, I truly believe he is racist-and that’s probably controversial-he is,” Tlaib told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons during a “Rising” interview.
“It’s in his policies, it’s in his words, and the fact of the matter is that he’s still our president ... but it doesn’t matter, I’m going to hold him accountable,” she continued.
Tlaib is one of two Muslim women elected to serve in the next Congress, along with Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar.
She's also the first Palestinian-American elected to Congress.
Democrats have repeatedly criticized Trump for engaging in racially charged or racist rhetoric.
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee criticized him for 'dogwhistle racism' for critical remarks about three black reporters over the fall.
In November, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez criticized as 'dog whistle politics' a Trump midterm advertisement, rejected by major networks, that showed images of a Mexican man who entered the US illegally and was sentenced to death for the murder of two police officers. The ad blamed Democrats for the Mexican citizen being in the United States.
Tlaib said that she has no idea what's driving Trump’s rhetoric, saying lawmakers and the public alike are often baffled by his constant tweets on social media.
“There’s so much, even when I watch national media outlets, it’s baffling because we’re all guessing like what is in his mind, what do you think that tweet was about,” she told Hill.TV.