GOP Rep. Mark Walker denounced Monday “send her back” chants directed at Rep. Ilhan Omar that broke out at a rally for President Trump last week, saying it was an “immediate dagger that went through my heart.”
“My wife, Wolf, is a two-time historical black college and university graduate. As a former minister, we have worked years in the inner cities,” Mr. Walker said, referring to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “The minority communities that value or put a little bit of trust and value in what we’re trying to do in Washington, I immediately thought of those folks.”
“I do not want to support in any way, shape or fashion, a phrase that for decades has been represented to hurt people in minority communities,” the North Carolina Republican said, adding he hoped Mr. Trump “would condemn it immediately” should the chants break out again.
The next day on CNN’s “Newsroom,” Mr. Walker said a larger percentage of Republicans privately oppose the chants.
“I think the majority of the Republicans, whether it’s publicly or most of the time privately here agree that we don’t want to be defined by those kinds of chants,” he said.
“We want to make sure that we are doing things where that message cuts through and not get caught up on some of the chants that have been offensive to our minority communities for decades,” Mr. Walker added.
The “send her back” chants were a chapter in a weeklong feud between Mr. Trump and four congresswomen of color, including Ms. Omar.
The president said Tuesday that he will win Minnesota in the 2020 election because of America’s hatred of Ms. Omar.
The Minnesota Democrat said she’s not going to let Mr. Trump statements go unchecked.
“It’s not that I’m going to allow it to distract me, but I’m interested in unmasking it and taking it to task. Because if we don’t fully confront it and push people, we’re going to be stuck here for another generation or two,” she said.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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