President Trump’s recent campaign rally that culminated in attendees chanting “send her back” about Rep. Ilhan Omar will be remembered as a “defining moment” in U.S. history, the foreign-born congresswoman said Thursday.
Ms. Omar, Minnesota Democrat, made the prediction while reflecting on the event in an editorial published by The New York Times
“Last week, as President Trump watched the crowd at one of his rallies chant ’Send her back,’ aimed at me and my family, I was reminded of times when such fearmongering was allowed to flourish,” wrote Ms. Omar. “I also couldn’t help but remember the horrors of civil war in Somalia that my family and I escaped, the America we expected to find and the one we actually experienced.”
“The president’s rally will be a defining moment in American history,” the congresswoman continued. “It reminds us of the grave stakes of the coming presidential election: that this fight is not merely about policy ideas; it is a fight for the soul of our nation. The ideals at the heart of our founding — equal protection under the law, pluralism, religious liberty — are under attack, and it is up to all of us to defend them.”
Mr. Trump was addressing supporters last Wednesday in Greenville, North Carolina, when attendees began chanting “send her back” as he spoke disparagingly about Ms. Omar, a former Somalia refugee and naturalized U.S. citizen, prompting him to pause his speech for more than 10 seconds until the yells subsided.
The president has since denied inspiring the chants, albeit despite suggesting days earlier that Ms. Omar and several other congresswomen of color “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
“I did nothing to lead people on, nor was I particularly happy with their chant,” Mr. Trump insisted Sunday. “Just a very big and patriotic crowd. They love the USA!”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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