Social media erupted with criticism on Wednesday evening after some in the crowd at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Greenville, North Carolina, chanted “Send her back!” after the president criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
The chant was short-lived, and began as President Trump began criticizing Omar for her history of antisemitic comments. Trump did not appear to anticipate the chant, or to encourage it, and did not react to it in real time.
Reaction to the chant sent “#TrumpRally” to the top of Twitter trends in the United States. Democrats were aghast:
Some conservatives also criticized the chant:
Others suggested taking the chant with a grain of salt — or a sense of humor:
Omar herself responded by quoting a Maya Angelou poem:
The chant dominated post-rally coverage and commentary on CNN and other outlets.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.