Trump Takes Criticism of 'the Squad' to Rally, Ignites 'Send Her Back' Chant That Stirs Controversy on Both Sides
President Donald Trump disavowed chants of “Send her back” directed at “squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar at a rally in North Carolina on Wednesday night after politicians on both sides of the aisle condemned the sentiment.
The chant started after Trump began recounting some of the controversial statements Omar has made in the past, including “slandering the brave Americans who were trying to keep the peace” in the representative’s native Somalia in the early 1990s.
Trump noted she “pleaded for compassion for ISIS recruits attempting to join the terrorist organization” and blaming the U.S. “for the terrorist attacks on our country, saying that terrorism is a reaction to our involvement in other people’s affairs.”
The president also targeted Omar for minimizing Sept. 11 at a Council on American-Islamic Relations fundraiser in Los Angeles in March when she referred to the terrorist attacks as “some people did something.”
Trump further highlighted Omar’s “history of launching vicious anti-Semitic screeds.”
It was at this point that a chant broke out of “Send her back!” among some rally attendees.
Trump paused briefly and then continued his remarks about Omar, describing some of her anti-Semitic statements such as Israel using “the Benjamins” to buy off American politicians.
Politicians and others from across the spectrum condemned the chant, including Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren.
McCarthy told reporters that the chant has “no place in our party and no place in this country.”
“The president did not join in. He moved on,” McCarthy said. “That’s what the president did,” which made the chanting stop.
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted, “Vile. Omar is awful. She is a radical anti-Semite with terrible views. She is also an American citizen and chanting for her deportation based on her exercise of the First Amendment is disgusting.”
Meanwhile, Harris tweeted, “It’s vile. It’s cowardly. It’s xenophobic. It’s racist. It defiles the office of the President. And I won’t share it here. It’s time to get Trump out of office and unite the country.”
It’s vile.
It’s cowardly.
It’s xenophobic.
It’s racist.
It defiles the office of the President.
And I won’t share it here.It’s time to get Trump out of office and unite the country.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 18, 2019
Warren renewed her calls to impeach Trump tweeting, “Calling out his racism, xenophobia, and misogyny is imperative. But he’s trying to divide us and distract from his own crimes.”
“We must call out those who remain silent. We must initiate impeachment proceedings to hold him accountable,” she added.
Omar told reporters Thursday that Trump was “spewing fascist ideology” at the rally.
She argued dissent is patriotic, and that Trump should not tell citizens to go back from where they came “because they do not agree with his detrimental policies.”
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who was at the rally, said on Fox News, “Any time you get into a crowd like that you’ve got a lot of supporters, they’re going to say what they want to say.”
He further argued that the candle was actually lit by the “extreme positions” of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and the rest of the so-called “squad” comprising Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib.
“This is about people who want to change America,” Tillis said. “This is about people who have a socialist vision for the United States.”
Trump was questioned Thursday why he did not stop the chant.
“I think I did. I started speaking very quickly,” he said, then condemning the chant.
Trump disavows “send her back” chant at his campaign rally pic.twitter.com/4C8CmwNyKU
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 18, 2019
“I disagree with it,” he added. “I felt a little bit badly about it … I was not happy with it, I disagree with it.”
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