President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on July 18, 2019. (Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)
Jul 18, 2019
Despite video evidence to the contrary, President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed he attempted to stop his supporters' racist "Send her back!" chant against Rep. Ilhan Omar during a rally in North Carolina.
"Well, number one, I think I did. I started speaking very quickly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked why he didn't stop the crowd's chant, which echoed the president's attacks on Reps. Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).
"I disagree with it, by the way," Trump added. "I felt a little bit badly about it. But I will say this... I started speaking very quickly. But it started up rather, rather fast, as you probably know."
When a reporter pointed out that the chant closely resembled Trump's tweets--which said the freshman congresswomen should "go back" to the countries "from which they came"--the president said, "Well, I don't think if you examine it, I don't think you'll find that."
Watch:
\u201cJUST IN: "I was not happy with it. I disagree with it," Pres. Trump says of \u201csend her back\u201d chant from crowd at his campaign rally last night.\n\nHe asserts he tried to stop the chant by "very quickly" speaking again as the chant broke out, despite a long pause during the chant.\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1563470465
Observers were quick to point out that the president's version of Wednesday night's rally does not align with reality.
Trump allowed the chants to go on uninterrupted for more than 10 seconds before proceeding with his remarks, in which he accused the Democratic congresswomen of hating the United States and said they should leave the country.
"Trump is claiming he was 'not happy' with the 'Send her back' chant and tried to stop it by resuming his speech. That is a lie," tweetedHuffPost reporter S.V. Date. "He turns away from his lectern (not completely around) and actually allows the chant to run its course before resuming his speech."
\u201cTRUMP tells WH pool he "was not happy with" the "send her back" chant at his NC rally last night & tried to stop it; "I started speaking very quickly.\u201d\n\nThe video shows that\u2019s not true.\u201d— Kenneth P. Vogel (@Kenneth P. Vogel) 1563469656
In response to Trump's rally and his supporters' chants, Omar told reporters Thursday that she believes the president is a "fascist" who is attempting to stifle dissent.
"This is not about me," Omar said. "This is about us fighting for what this country truly should be and what it deserves to be."
\u201cJust 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?"\u201d— Manu Raju (@Manu Raju) 1563467696
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Despite video evidence to the contrary, President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed he attempted to stop his supporters' racist "Send her back!" chant against Rep. Ilhan Omar during a rally in North Carolina.
"Well, number one, I think I did. I started speaking very quickly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked why he didn't stop the crowd's chant, which echoed the president's attacks on Reps. Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).
"I disagree with it, by the way," Trump added. "I felt a little bit badly about it. But I will say this... I started speaking very quickly. But it started up rather, rather fast, as you probably know."
When a reporter pointed out that the chant closely resembled Trump's tweets--which said the freshman congresswomen should "go back" to the countries "from which they came"--the president said, "Well, I don't think if you examine it, I don't think you'll find that."
Watch:
\u201cJUST IN: "I was not happy with it. I disagree with it," Pres. Trump says of \u201csend her back\u201d chant from crowd at his campaign rally last night.\n\nHe asserts he tried to stop the chant by "very quickly" speaking again as the chant broke out, despite a long pause during the chant.\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1563470465
Observers were quick to point out that the president's version of Wednesday night's rally does not align with reality.
Trump allowed the chants to go on uninterrupted for more than 10 seconds before proceeding with his remarks, in which he accused the Democratic congresswomen of hating the United States and said they should leave the country.
"Trump is claiming he was 'not happy' with the 'Send her back' chant and tried to stop it by resuming his speech. That is a lie," tweetedHuffPost reporter S.V. Date. "He turns away from his lectern (not completely around) and actually allows the chant to run its course before resuming his speech."
\u201cTRUMP tells WH pool he "was not happy with" the "send her back" chant at his NC rally last night & tried to stop it; "I started speaking very quickly.\u201d\n\nThe video shows that\u2019s not true.\u201d— Kenneth P. Vogel (@Kenneth P. Vogel) 1563469656
In response to Trump's rally and his supporters' chants, Omar told reporters Thursday that she believes the president is a "fascist" who is attempting to stifle dissent.
"This is not about me," Omar said. "This is about us fighting for what this country truly should be and what it deserves to be."
\u201cJust 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?"\u201d— Manu Raju (@Manu Raju) 1563467696
Despite video evidence to the contrary, President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed he attempted to stop his supporters' racist "Send her back!" chant against Rep. Ilhan Omar during a rally in North Carolina.
"Well, number one, I think I did. I started speaking very quickly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked why he didn't stop the crowd's chant, which echoed the president's attacks on Reps. Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).
"I disagree with it, by the way," Trump added. "I felt a little bit badly about it. But I will say this... I started speaking very quickly. But it started up rather, rather fast, as you probably know."
When a reporter pointed out that the chant closely resembled Trump's tweets--which said the freshman congresswomen should "go back" to the countries "from which they came"--the president said, "Well, I don't think if you examine it, I don't think you'll find that."
Watch:
\u201cJUST IN: "I was not happy with it. I disagree with it," Pres. Trump says of \u201csend her back\u201d chant from crowd at his campaign rally last night.\n\nHe asserts he tried to stop the chant by "very quickly" speaking again as the chant broke out, despite a long pause during the chant.\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1563470465
Observers were quick to point out that the president's version of Wednesday night's rally does not align with reality.
Trump allowed the chants to go on uninterrupted for more than 10 seconds before proceeding with his remarks, in which he accused the Democratic congresswomen of hating the United States and said they should leave the country.
"Trump is claiming he was 'not happy' with the 'Send her back' chant and tried to stop it by resuming his speech. That is a lie," tweetedHuffPost reporter S.V. Date. "He turns away from his lectern (not completely around) and actually allows the chant to run its course before resuming his speech."
\u201cTRUMP tells WH pool he "was not happy with" the "send her back" chant at his NC rally last night & tried to stop it; "I started speaking very quickly.\u201d\n\nThe video shows that\u2019s not true.\u201d— Kenneth P. Vogel (@Kenneth P. Vogel) 1563469656
In response to Trump's rally and his supporters' chants, Omar told reporters Thursday that she believes the president is a "fascist" who is attempting to stifle dissent.
"This is not about me," Omar said. "This is about us fighting for what this country truly should be and what it deserves to be."
\u201cJust 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?"\u201d— Manu Raju (@Manu Raju) 1563467696
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.