United States House of Representatives(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Steve King — an Iowa Republican known for his sometimes provocative rhetoric — drew fire on social media Sunday after tweeting, “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
In the post, King appeared to promote Geert Wilders, a right-wing Dutch politician who has vowed to “de-Islamize” the Netherlands if elected prime minister.
His fellow Republicans immediately sounded off.
“What exactly do you mean? Do I qualify as ‘someone else’s baby?'” tweeted Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, the son of two Cuban exiles that fled Castro in the 1960’s.
.@SteveKingIA What exactly do you mean? Do I qualify as “somebody else’s baby?” #concernedGOPcolleague
— Carlos Curbelo (@carloslcurbelo) March 13, 2017
“Is it worth making the obvious point that what American history has been about is ‘restoring’ ourselves with ‘somebody else’s babies?'” asked conservative columnist Bill Kristol.
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
Former Democratic Governor of Vermont Howard Dean was more blunt, calling King an “ignoramus.”
King is a total ignoramus and no one takes him seriously. He does give off good quotes to outrage people though. https://t.co/tMZf7heR9O
— Howard Dean (@GovHowardDean) March 12, 2017
King’s history of controversial comments
This isn’t the first time King, who was elected to the House in 2002, has found himself in hot water over his views on race.
Asked last July about the comparative racial homogeneity of the Republican party, the 67-year-old congressman responded, “this ‘old white people’ business does get a little tired.”
“I’d ask you to go back through history and figure out, where are these contributions that have been made by these other categories of people that you’re talking about?” he added. “Where did any other subgroup of people contribute more to civilization?”
In 2013, he implied that the vast majority of undocumented immigrants brought across the southern border as children are drug mules.
“For every valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there that — they weigh 130 pounds, and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert,” he said.
He’s also been roundly criticized for attempting to block the image of Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman from the $20 bill and defending the use of the Confederate flag as a piece of “our heritage.”
King’s office did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
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