Support flows for Omar after Trump rally chant
President distances self from crowd’s message
WASHINGTON – Outrage and expressions of support for Rep. Ilhan Omar flooded social media Thursday after a crowd of President Donald Trump’s supporters chanted “send her back” when he attacked the Minnesota Democrat at a rally Wednesday night in North Carolina.
Trump called out Omar and three other liberal congresswomen, all of them minorities, who he says “hate our country.” He has leveled attacks against the four women, known as “the Squad,” every day this week, beginning with a series of tweets on Sunday telling them to “go back” to their countries of origin that were later condemned as racist in a House resolution.
Omar, who arrived in the U.S. more than 20 years ago after her family fled war-torn Somalia, is the only one of the four congresswomen not born in the U.S.
On Wednesday, Trump attacked Omar for comments she made about Israel that were condemned as anti-semitic and remarks that were perceived as dismissive of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He also repeated some false claims about Omar that have circulated online.
“And she looks down with contempt on the hard-working Americans, saying that ignorance is pervasive in many parts of this country,” Trump said.
“Send her back,” some in the crowd began to chant.
On Thursday, Trump blamed his supporters for the chant, even though he did nothing to stop the taunts.
“I disagree with it,” the president said in the Oval Office. “I wasn’t happy with that message.”
Some Democratic presidential candidates were among those who denounced the incident.
“#Istandwithilhan and am proud to work with her in Congress,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT. “Trump is stoking the most despicable and disturbing currents in our society. And that very hatred and racism fuels him. We must fight together to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of our country.”
Earlier Thursday, several Republican lawmakers distanced themselves from the chants.
The top Republican in the House said “send her back” chants “have no place in our party and no place in this country.”
Minority Leader Kevin Mccarthy asserted, however, that Trump’s hostility to Omar is about ideology, not race, telling reporters that “this is about socialism vs. freedom.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-ill., tweeted that he woke up “disgusted” by the chant, which he described as “ugly.”
“I deeply disagree with the extreme left & have been disgusted by their tone,” Kinzinger tweeted. “I woke up today equally disgusted – chants like ‘send her back’ are ugly, wrong, & would send chills down the spines of our Founding Fathers. This ugliness must end, or we risk our great union.”
Contributing: The Associated Press