Donald Trump just made things even worse for himself
Last night, supporters attending a Trump rally in North Carolina began chanting “Send her back!” when Trump talked about Rep. Ilhan Omar. Trump should have been expecting something like this, given his recent tweet suggesting that Omar and three other U.S.-born Congresswomen “go back” to the “countries” where “they originally came from.” Yet, even though the House of Representatives condemned Trump for his racist attack on these U.S. citizens, Trump failed to take action to shut down the chant.
With Republicans reportedly growing agitated behind the scenes, Trump no doubt decided he had to do something to make it seem like he is walking the whole thing back just a bit. When a reporter asked Trump about the chant at the White House this afternoon, he seemed to be taking a step in the right direction, claiming “I felt a little bit badly about it,” “I was not happy with it,” and “I disagree with it.” But if that’s truly how Trump felt, then why not talk back to the chanters at the rally?
Trump attempted to answer that question, though by doing so he only managed to make things worse for himself. Trump claimed that he pushed back by speaking again quickly, as if to suppress the chant. But video of the rally shows Trump let the chanting proceed for nearly 15 seconds before continuing to speak. When Trump finally did resume talking, he did not change the subject. Instead, Trump proceeded to attack the same four Congresswomen by repeating lies about their supposed hatred of America. To top it off, Trump also echoed the crowd’s “Send her back!” chant by shouting, “If they don’t love [the United States], tell them to leave it!”
Trump’s false portrayal of how he supposedly stopped the chanters has done nothing to dispel the notion that he is a racist. Trump only succeeded in reminding us that when it comes to self-preservation, he will lie without even worrying if his coverup makes any sense. Although Trump also told reporters that he “would certainly try” to stop the chants if they were to occur at another rally, we know better than to hold our breath.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month