Speaking to reporters at the White House Thursday afternoon, President Trump condemned chants made about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar during a 2020 campaign rally in North Carolina Wednesday night.
“I was not happy with it - I disagree with it," Trump said. "I was not happy that they did that."
NEW: Asked by @jonkarl about "send her back" chants, Pres. Trump says, "I disagree with it, by the way, but it was quite a chant and I felt a little bit badly about it."
— ABC News (@ABC) July 18, 2019
"I was not happy with it, I disagree with it...I didn't say that, they did." https://t.co/iYmprzacJR pic.twitter.com/AwxamAIP7G
Attendants at the rally chanted "Send her back! Send her back!" after President Trump ran down a list of radical positions Congresswoman Omar holds.
Trump rally crowd launches into "send her back" chant over Ilhan Omar https://t.co/VMaxlgbQn1 pic.twitter.com/92v7Lh4Uza
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) July 18, 2019
President Trump has come under heavy criticism from both sides of the political aisle for the outburst. He's also being defended.
"The president didn't join in," Kevin McCarthy said when asked if Trump should have stopped the "send her back" chants targeting Ilhan Omar last night.
— POLITICO (@politico) July 18, 2019
"You want to try to hold him accountable for something in a big audience?" he continued. "I think that's an unfair position" pic.twitter.com/yfUHPIfzVU
NEWS: Members of GOP leadership expressed their concerns w/ the "Send Her Back" chants to VP Pence this a.m. & asked him to relay the message to Trump.
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) July 18, 2019
One lawmaker even wants a meeting with the president to discuss the issue.
Story w/ @BresPolitico: https://t.co/cw9S8yDQ6V
Meanwhile, Omar is still calling President Trump a fascist.
Just asked Omar about the chants, and she says of Trump: "I believe he is a fascist." Responding to Lindsey Graham, who said if she were wearing a MAGA hat Trump wouldn't have said 'go back:' "Because I criticized the president, I should be deported?" pic.twitter.com/Pdgtozu6x6
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 18, 2019