Donald Trump claims he ‘feels bad’ about racist ‘Send her back!’ chant screamed at his rally
The president claimed he had been taken by surprise by the racist chant, aimed at Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, when it was screamed at a North Carolina rally on Wednesday night
Donald Trump has claimed he feels ‘a little bit badly’ after supporters chanted ‘Send her back!’ about an African-American congresswoman at one of his rallies.
Questioned about the hateful slur screamed at 2020 re-election rally in North Carolina Wednesday night, the president said: ‘I was not happy with it.
‘I disagree with it. I didn’t say it, they did.’
Trump was pressed by a reporter who told the president the crowd was only echoing what he had repeatedly said about Somalian refugee turned Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar.
He answered: ‘I don’t think if you examine you’ll find that.’
Trump was also asked why he didn’t stop the chant, and claims he did by ‘speaking quite quickly’ over the top.
The president continued: ‘I disagree with it by the way.
‘It was quite a chant and I feel a little bit badly about it.
‘But I will say this. It started up rather fast, as you probably noticed.’
Wednesday’s chant, which sparked worldwide condemnation, came three days after Trump attacked Omar, and fellow representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Presley,
He wrote: ‘So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.
‘Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. ‘Then come back and show us how it is done.’
All four Democratic representatives are women of color, with Trump’s tweets prompting accusations he had used a highly offensive racial slur.
During Wednesday’s rally, Trump also raised an unfounded rumor that Omar got married to her brother.
Responding to a question from Fox News, he said: ‘There’s a lot of talk about the fact that she was married to her brother.
‘I know nothing about it. I hear she was married to her brother.
‘You’re asking me a question about it. I don’t know, but I’m sure that somebody will be looking at that.’
Omar said she married first husband Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002, and divorced him in 2008.
She then wed Somali immigrant Ahmed Nur Said Elmi – who is the subject of the incest rumors – in 2009, at a Minnesota state registry office.
Omar said Elmi returned to his home in London in 2011 after a ‘faith-based divorce.’
She has since gotten back together with first husband Hirsi.