Trump tears into ‘squad’ at Ohio rally
Crowd doesn’t break into ‘send her back’
CINCINNATI — President Donald Trump opened a rally Thursday in Cincinnati by tearing into the Democrats he has been elevating as his new political foils.
The president, who faced widespread criticism for not doing more to stop the chants of “Send her back” about Somali-born Rep. Ilhan Omar at a rally two weeks ago, did not mention Omar or her three colleagues by name in the opening moments of his Ohio gathering — but the target of his attacks was unmistakable.
“The Democrat party is now being led by four left-wing extremists who reject everything that we hold dear,” Trump said of Omar and her fellow House Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
But the fleeting mention did not lead to further chants.
The rally was the first for Trump since the “Send her back” chant at a North Carolina rally was denounced by Democrats and unnerved Republicans fearful of a presidential campaign fought on racial lines.
At Thursday’s rally, Trump declared, “I don’t want to be controversial.” He suggested to his supporters hours earlier that he did not want to hear the chant about Omar, an American citizen who moved to the United States as a child.
Speaking to reporters before leaving the White House for Cincinnati, Trump said he didn’t know whether they would chant anyway or what his response would be if they did — adding that, regardless, he “loves” his political supporters.
Robyn Mcgrail, 64, and her husband were celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary by attending their third Trump rally. She said that if the crowd did begin the chant, “I’ll probably be cheering. If they don’t like America, they should leave. We love our country.”
Cynthia Wells, 63, a Cincinnati nurse, said she would follow Trump’s lead.
“We listen to him and we won’t do it,” Wells said. “I don’t think it will happen. If it does, we won’t participate because he’s against that. That’s not what his message is.”