Barack Obama: “I think it's important for us to develop new sources of energy here in America.”

The effort, he said, “should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views.”

It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say.

Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.

People need to “rediscover what’s the story we tell about how we’re going to live together, and see each other, and recognise each other, and disagree, and yet, still care for each other”.