Trump told reporters Thursday that he "was not happy" that his supporters shouted "send her back" at a Wednesday night rally where he criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and three other liberal Democratic congresswomen of color.
The chant, which broke out during a campaign rally in North Carolina, began after Trump falsely claimed that Omar has praised al-Qaida, according to The Associated Press. He also accused her of having "a history of launching vicious anti-Semitic screeds."
>> From Cox Media Group's Jamie Dupree: Trump disavows "Send her back" chant at campaign rally
Update 11:15 p.m. EDT July 18:
Dozens of supporters of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) gathered at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Thursday night to welcome her home after a week filled with repeated attacks from President Donald Trump.
President Trump on "send her back" chant: "I was not happy with it. I disagree with it." pic.twitter.com/qEplHgf2vM
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 18, 2019
Omar posted video of her arrival on social media with the statement, "It's good to be home."
Update 2:30 p.m. EDT July 18: President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that he "was not happy" that his supporters shouted "send her back" at a Wednesday night rally where he criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and three other liberal Democratic congresswomen of color.
The chant, which broke out during a campaign rally in North Carolina, began after Trump falsely claimed that Omar has praised al-Qaida, according to The Associated Press. He also accused her of having "a history of launching vicious anti-Semitic screeds."
>> From Cox Media Group's Jamie Dupree: Trump disavows "Send her back" chant at campaign rally
Update 2:30 p.m. EDT July 18: The president told reporters Thursday that he doesn't endorse the message sent by his supporters Wednesday night after they responded to his criticism of Omar with chants of "Send her back."
"I was not happy with it -- I disagree with it," the president said. "I didn't like that they did it."
President Trump on "send her back" chant: "I was not happy with it. I disagree with it." pic.twitter.com/qEplHgf2vM
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 18, 2019
Original report: President Donald Trump continued to slam four freshman Democratic congresswomen Wednesday at a North Carolina campaign rally, claiming that the progressive lawmakers "don't love our country" and "are helping to fuel the rise of a dangerous, militant hard left."
Trump's remarks at the Greenville event came just days after he tweeted that the congresswomen should go back to the "totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." Trump did not mention their names in the tweets, but he appeared to be referring to U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who are all U.S. citizens and women of color.
So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
....and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
....it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
Critics blasted Trump's tweets as racist, and the House of Representatives later voted to condemn his remarks, The Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, Trump defended his comments, telling reporters that the congresswomen "hate our country" and tweeting that he doesn't "have a Racist bone in [his] body."
At Wednesday's rally, Trump again blasted the congresswomen, this time criticizing each one by name. At one point, he falsely claimed that Omar has praised al-Qaida, according to the AP. He also accused her of having "a history of launching vicious anti-Semitic screeds."
"Send her back!" the crowd shouted in response.
Crowd in Greenville, NC chants "send her back" while President Trump speaks about Rep. Ilan Omar (D-MN).
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 18, 2019
Watch complete video here: https://t.co/UcE8SFFY5S pic.twitter.com/zzT0CAbbuN
Trump also criticized Tlaib for using "the F-word" to describe him and Ocasio-Cortez for having "three different names" and calling migrant detention centers "concentration camps," the AP reported. Pressley, he alleged, "thinks that people with the same skin color all need to think the same."
Omar responded Wednesday night by tweeting a quote from poet Maya Angelou.
"You may shoot me with your words, / You may cut me with your eyes, / You may kill me with your hatefulness, / But still, like air, I'll rise," the tweet read.
Omar later added: "I am where I belong, at the people's house and you're just gonna have to deal!"
You may shoot me with your words,
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 18, 2019
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
-Maya Angelou https://t.co/46jcXSXF0B
👋🏽 I am where I belong, at the people’s house and you’re just gonna have to deal! pic.twitter.com/W0OvDXGxQX
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 18, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez added: "We have the power to triumph over hatred, division and bigotry."
To all those scared for our future: we can get through this better than we started.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 18, 2019
We have the power to triumph over hatred, division, and bigotry.
But decency cannot be taken for granted. It is something we must create, advance, and actively work to build each and every day.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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