White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham on Monday insisted that President Donald Trump’s retweet of a badly photoshopped image of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in Muslim garb in front of an Iranian flag was an effort to show that Democrats side with terrorists.

“I think the president is making clear that the Democrats have been parroting Iranian talking points and almost taking the side of terrorists and those who are out to kill Americans,” Grisham said on Fox News. “I think the president was making a point that the Democrats hate him so much that they are willing to be on the side of countries and leadership of countries who want to kill Americans.”

Grisham’s remarks come on the heels of multiple Republicans baselessly claiming Democrats are “mourning” the death of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, comments eventually echoed by the president. Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), after saying Democrats were “in love with terrorists,” eventually apologized via Twitter amid intense backlash.