When the president of the United States, the highest office in the country, sends out racist and xenophobic tweets, what does this mean for our country? Is it not normalizing xenophobia and racism, 153 years after slavery was abolished?

This kind of behavior should never come from someone representing a small town in the U.S. let alone the entire country. What's worse, is the president continued to stand by what he said insisting it is not racist.

This is not a partisan issue, it is about our ideals and fundamentals as a country. About threats to our democracy and what we stand for. When our representatives in Congress are attacked and feel threatened because they criticized the president or his policies, isn't that a threat to our democracy? Our Founding Fathers set up a system of government to ensure that no one, not even the president, is above the law or beyond criticism and can be held accountable. But these attacks are threatening that very system.

The ideals for which the U.S. was founded upon: liberty, justice and equal rights, are the opposite of racism and bigotry. For the president to disregard the ideals and values of our country, because someone is disagreeing with him or his policies, is un-American.

We can all acknowledge that we are a country of immigrants, and that's what makes America great. The president himself is married to an immigrant. We should be proud of what we are made of as a country and the different viewpoints that each of us have, and not attack one another because of our heritage or race. That is not and should not be what America stands for.

At a time when the country is divided and when racism and xenophobia are behind the killing of innocent people, the last thing we need is more division and hatred. We look up to our leaders for wisdom and guidance and words of unity. It is very disappointing when we hear the opposite, and it undermines their role and that of the office that they hold.

Regardless of what party you support xenophobia should never be excused or normalized. All Americans must condemn racism, xenophobia and bigotry in all its forms, if we are to be a leader and set an example for the rest of the world.