Trump: I'm 'Not Happy' With That New Chant

He disavows 'send her back' and says he will stop supporters next time
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 18, 2019 1:36 PM CDT

In the face of media criticism and some negativity in his own party, President Trump is disavowing his supporters' chant of "send her back," Politico reports. "I was not happy with it. I disagree with it," Trump said Thursday of those who unleashed the chant about Rep. Ilhan Omar at a North Carolina rally the night before. "But again, I didn't say that. They did." The cry erupted in Greenville as Trump railed against Omar and three other new congresswomen—Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley—known as The Squad. He kept talking the first time it broke out but listened to nearly a dozen repetitions when it happened again, per USA Today.

Among other things, Trump accused Omar of supporting al-Qaeda (Politico says Trump was "mischaracterizing" her statements such as this one) and being anti-Semitic. At one point, the crowd began the chant and Trump took a long pause. Asked why he didn't stop them, Trump said later, "I think I did—I started speaking very quickly." He also vowed to try stopping future occurrences. Rep. Tom Emmer was among Republicans who criticized the chant, tweeting that it was "ugly, wrong, & would send chills down the spines of our Founding Fathers. This ugliness must end, or we risk our great union." (Omar responded defiantly to the chant.)

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