President Trump said he disagrees with the “send her back” chant that broke out during his rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, which was directed at Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Asked why he did not stop the audience in Greenville, Trump told reporters Thursday in the Oval Office, “I think I did — I started speaking very quickly.”
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He added, “I was not happy with it — I disagree with it.”
The chant took place after Trump repeatedly criticized Omar, a liberal congresswoman from Minnesota. He also condemned the other members of “the squad,” which includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
The president has faced intense backlash for telling the minority representatives to “go back” to their home countries, even though three of them were born in the U.S. Omar is a refugee from Somalia. Despite the criticism, Trump stayed on message during his rally Wednesday evening.
“Tonight I have a suggestion for the hate-filled extremists who are constantly trying to tear our country down. They never have anything good to say. That’s why I say, hey, if they don’t like it, let them leave. Let them leave,” he said in Greenville.
Trump has been condemned by Democrats and some Republicans for the rhetoric. The House passed a resolution to condemn the remarks earlier this week.
Omar responded to the chants by calling Trump a racist.
“We have said this president is racist. We have condemned his racist remarks. I believe he is fascist,” Omar said. “I want to remind people that this is what this president and his supporters have torn our country, that is supposed to be a country where we allow democratic debate and dissent to take place. And so, this is not about me; this is about us fighting for what this country truly should be.”
