Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) described supporters of President Donald Trump as “mentally ill” during a recent interview, moments before calling for bipartisan cooperation to oppose him.
Crockett made the remarks during an appearance on “Next Question with Katie Couric,” where she was asked about the recent riots in Los Angeles related to immigration enforcement.
The unrest followed President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines in response to the protests.
“I truly have no words … you grow up as a little girl in this country … and you think, ‘Man, this is a great place to live and it’s only going to get better.’ And then you become the adult version of me and you have a president that is openly just a criminal,” Crockett said.
“Like, not just the convictions he’s got — consistently breaking laws, ignoring court orders, violating the Constitution and doing it all because he really is seeking this retribution. This retribution that he campaigned on — he said, ‘I will be your retribution.’”
She continued by accusing President Trump of misusing the military and dismissed those who support him.
“And so this idea that we don’t care how many people get hurt, we don’t care how we prostitute our service members — you know, thinking that you have your own special little army that’s for you … it is sick,” she said. “It is really sick. And anybody that supports it is also sick.”
Crockett went on to say the country is facing a “mental health crisis” and implied that anyone who supports Trump, regardless of party affiliation, is part of the problem.
“And so, you know, we’ve got a mental health crisis in this country because everyone — no matter how you affiliate yourself — should be against Trump. Period. This is not partisan for me. Like, I would give anything to have — sad to say — [former President] George Bush,” she added.
“Like, give me any regular Republican nowadays, and I would be happy. But right now, we have someone who does not care and he is being enabled by the fact that there are, you know, people that follow him and they pump him up, as well as the people that are surrounding him.”
Crockett closed her remarks by expressing concern for U.S. service members.
“My heart breaks for service members — people that signed up to protect democracy and freedom, not only here but abroad, and were willing to risk their lives,” she said.
“And now, literally, the very thing that they signed up to fight against is now their commander-in-chief. It really breaks my heart. And I don’t know how far he has to go before we can come together and just say, ‘Enough is enough.’ Like, this should not be partisanship.”
Crockett’s statements come as President Trump holds strong support within the Republican Party.
A recent NBC News Decision Desk Poll conducted with SurveyMonkey shows Trump with an 89% approval rating among Republican voters.
This is not the first time Rep. Crockett has drawn attention for her public statements.
In March, she told “Lone Star Politics” that she was focused on opposing Trump rather than advancing legislation in Congress. Crockett has also referred to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as “Governor Hot Wheels.”
She is currently running to become the next ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
If appointed chair, Crockett has pledged to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. In a June 1 interview with “Inside Texas Politics,” she stated she has no plans to seek the presidency.