President Trump on Saturday denied provoking the shouts of “send her back” that his supporters chanted about Rep. Ilhan Omar during one of his recent reelection campaign rallies.
“I did nothing to lead people on, nor was I particularly happy with their chant,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter. “Just a very big and patriotic crowd. They love the USA!”
Mr. Trump supported his claim by sharing a tweet originally posted by right-wing media personality Katie Hopkins that included video footage of the chants erupting this week.
It marked the fourth time Saturday morning Mr. Trump retweeted Ms. Hopkins, a controversial British columnist who was previously condemned by the United Nations commissioner for human rights for comparing migrants to cockroaches.
“Send her back is the new lock her up,” Ms. Hopkins wrote in one of several tweets shared by Mr. Trump. “Well done to #TeamTrump.”
An ongoing feud between Mr. Trump and Ms. Omar, Minnesota Democrat, escalated last Sunday when Mr. Trump suggested that the foreign-born congresswomen and three female colleagues of color “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
Chants of “send her back” subsequently broke out Wednesday evening when Mr. Trump brought up Ms. Omar, a former Somali refugee who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, during a campaign rally held in Greenville, North Carolina, prompting the president to pause his speech for more than 10 seconds.
Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday morning that he disagreed with the chants and “felt a little bit badly about it.” He has since accused media outlets of becoming “crazed” over the chant, and he described his supporters in attendance at the rally as “incredible patriots.”
Ms. Hopkins, 44, was condemned by the U.N. high commissioner for human rights after writing a 2015 column that compared migrants to “cockroaches” and “feral humans.” She made waves again the following year after a terrorist attack in Nice, France, by stating: “Islam disgusts me.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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