They fly the American flag in Hawaii. You can pay for things there with U.S. currency. If you're American, don't need a passport to visit.
That's because it's part of the United States of America — not that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions seems to care.
Earlier this week on a conservative talk show, grumbling about a district judge in the state halting Donald Trump's travel ban, Sessions said:
"I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the president of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and constitutional power."
Yes, just "an island in the Pacific," not, like, one of our country's most visited states. Hawaii's attorney general shot back with a subtle troll.
Other Hawaii politicians were less gentle.
Hey Jeff Sessions, this #IslandinthePacific has been the 50th state for going on 58 years. And we won’t succumb to your dog whistle politics
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) April 20, 2017
People from the country's other 49 states were also upset.
Someone please tell Sessions that Hawaii is a state. An American in Hawaii is as American as one from Alabama. Or Indiana. https://t.co/kZb43EmCFp
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) April 20, 2017
We're assuming Jeff Sessions knows basic U.S. history and geography, so maybe there's something else going on here...
Hawaii is living proof that multiracial democracy works. It's no mystery why Sessions feels threatened by it.
— Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt) April 20, 2017
... can't quite figure it out ...
Jeff Sessions' attack on Hawaii isn't random. The state is only 24% white. He's telling Trump's base that Hawaiians aren't real Americans.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) April 21, 2017
... oh well, I guess we'll never know what Sessions was thinking.
How long before Jeff Sessions starts arguing that Obama wasn't born on an island in the Pacific?
— Michael Blackman (@MBlackman37) April 21, 2017
If only there was a state with stunning natural beauty that could take our minds off Sessions. Oh well.