Now the chanters are “incredible patriots.” Isn’t that code language for white nationalist?
32
Please update this headline and the story, as Donald Trump is today defending the racist chanting and calling the people who did it “incredible patriots.”
Again, Trump has reversed himself (again) and is now defending deporting Americans who disagree with him.
22
Trump sure knows how to get good press and divert public attention, and calling him a racist, reacting to every twitch and tweet he makes, while necessary since he is our President, only encourages him to say more attention grabbing slurs, slights, or outrageous claims. And given that Ilhan Omar exposed her hate for Jews, the Jewish state of Israel, and America's support of Israel candidly and sincerely, unlike Trump who is all media focused all the time, I'd say Omar is the true racist. Arrogance and false sense of power and position, her own and "the Squad's", bring many of us Democrats to feel that the 2020 election is Trump's for the taking.
2
Trump and his followers are unamerican and unpatriotic. It is disgusting and horrifying. The GOP frets? The GOP are no better. Vote these criminals and scoundrels out of office.
14
I’m afraid the media have called people racist so many times when they aren’t that no one believes it any more.
1
There is no way those chants were a spontaneous action by the NC crowd. Too immediate and too rehearsed! With some determined investigative reporting, I am certain members of Trump's "squad" will be found to have been the genesis of the "Send Her Back" chant and that they continued to egg the crowd on. And, BTW, as long as name-calling seems to be permitted, Lindsay Graham is an idiot and a hypocrite! And Trump is a liar, but that's old news.
19
Isn’t this like saying something horrible in a canyon and then criticizing the rocks for echoing it back at you. There’s something desperately stupid about this whole situation.
12
Here is a president who claim bone spurs to escape the draft (draft dodger). Notice there are no more general figures from the military standing next to him in photo ops. The military has had enough with this scoundrel.
Married to his third wife, Melania, who is not born in this county and spewing his racist comments. Why hasn't Melania speak up? Why haven't republicans not speak up? God forbid if the crowd chanted any strong language for the ill fate of the president, for they would be investigated by the Secret Service.
This president is a one trick pony. A liar, a misogynist, who paid off women for sex with illegal hush moneyl funds.
I have the satisfaction knowing that at end of his term, he will face jail time that is inevitable. You can't keep cheating the devil, the cows will eventually come home. I think the biggest fear he has is when he leaves office and be prosecuted as an ordinary Joe.
17
When you cut to the chase
It’s a Dictatorship with frills attached .
15
Very confusing to read a headline that includes “send her back” and right there is a picture with melania in it!
Very confusing....
18
The NYT should be reporting that Trump lied about walking back his not supporting the despicable chants of his base- he encouraged it. Come on NYT, the evidence is there, report it!!!
6
I hope his Trumpeteers see how loyal Mr Trump is when the merd hits the fan, He basked in the glory of you chants and sells you down the river the next. Remember it is not what Mr Trump can do for you but entirely what you can do for Mr Trump. Suckers.
9
I am sure that many average Germans "fretted" as they witnessed the spread of hatred at Nazi rallies in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936. But while they "fretted", the beast grew stronger, and when they woke up it was too late to cage it. GOP members, the time to stand up to racist hatred and fear mongering is fast passing. You either do it now, or forever will be tied to Donald Trump and his horror show.
16
The Congresswoman Omar, in reference to Trump’s provoking the “send her back” chant by his followers said: This is the agenda of white nationalists.
Definition of nationalism:
1: loyalty and devotion to a nation; 2: a nationalist movement or government
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalism
Most Americans and I subscribe to this view. I also happened to be a white person. Am I therefore on a Ms. Omar’s black list of condemned people?
Although I find Mr. Trump’s audacity and boneheadedness similar to those in early Nazi movement in Europe, I also find Ms. Omar’s view being out of touch with reality. Does Ms. Omar think that the Americans should give up their loyalty and devotion to their nation, particularly when they happened to be White?
The president has found his match, I suppose.
I timed it too and got 15 seconds from when the chanting started becoming audible to when it died. Trump stopped talking , allowed the chant to continue until it faded, then continued his rant.
Absolutely nothing of policy substance was said by the space holder. He cannot bring substance to anything, only an exposure of his ignorance, and insults.
That he somehow started talking and was uncomfortable with the chanting is defied by the video of him. Liar liar!
9
Please, naked racism and misogyny are the GOP BRAND.
15
He PRETENDED to disavow. We know where his dark, ugly heart really resides!
9
How does Senator Tim Scott feel when the leader of his own Republican party tells a person of color to go back to where they came from?
Senator Scott, wake up. Your party hates people of color.
Why are you a willing participant of hate against people of color?
How can you sleep at night?
12
As usual, another day, another lie. This man can never be put under oath, he just lies and lies and lies! Previous article talked as if this liar of all liars could even be considered for a second term is beyond the pale. Truly, lock him up!
9
No one but DC Swampers and NYT Pearl Clutchers are "fretting" over President Trump's tweets or his fans crying "Send Her Back" at some huge rally of his. Its a non issue meant only to stir up the Libs and create a tempest in a tea pot. Get a clue, NYT, Big Daddy is heading for re election in 2020!
He's really a big wimp ... backs down every time some else doesn't have his back ... he's a pretend cowboy ...
5
Did Trump say he "disavows" the chant? NO, he did not. I doubt he even knows what "disavows" means. In fact, has he ever apologized for any of the hateful and dishonest things he's said in the past three years? NO.
Saying he "felt a little badly" (dishonest in itself) is NOT the same as disavows, NYT.
Why are you walking on eggshells? Do your journalistic job.
5
Stop the presses...after throwing his rally party pants under the bus, he now claims they are patriots. Just like Charlottesville redux.
3
Where have we seen this denial from him before? Charlottesville! They both have good people? What’s in common? Yep Racism! Oh no! Oh yes! What he says first is always his own words. Believe what he has been from the beginning an ego driven racist.
4
Trump is a liar.
7
Yes, they should send her back, in a large self-addressed and stamped envelope, to the land of her birth. There, I said it. Do I feel guilty? Absolutely not. I know enough about Somalia and the folks who live there to say that people who are born there should stay there unless they are willing to really change and work for the common good, and to change all their original views about the world--including their hatred of Israel if they are Muslim, and accept responsibility for the problems that their original homelands have caused, considering the fact that they were citizens who could have implemented change. For all the idiots who say Palestine is illegally occupied by Jews, I can say that Somalia is apparently legally occupied by terrorists, warlords, and "modern day" pirates. If Omar has so much hate for Israel and can't even truly identify by name the same "Someone who did something" who potentially changed my life for the worse as a citizen of this country, then she has absolutely no business calling herself a US citizen. I truly hate the fact that she now lives in the same country as me, and has sympathy for the vile and putrid garbage who changed everything about this country for the worse. I was born in this country and would more than be willing to renounce my citizenship and move out (if it were that simple, which it ain't) in order to be far away from the lunatics who help put this lunatic into office, and maintain some sense of sanity in an insane world.
What has to happen for Americans to take to the streets and protest en masse? Must a representative of your people die at the hands of a racist? What are you waiting for? Your election is months away, and it seems as though your people are just staring numbly as the fuse is burning closer and closer.
9
Wow, such a disgrace this person.
6
Trump lies once again. He stood there and allowed this chant to go on. He did not rebuke it during the rally. He needed a new boogeywoman and Ms. Omar is it. Disgusting!
8
I am surprised and disappointed that the Times isn't telling readers how European, Canadian and other leaders responded to the overt racism in America. It was prominent in our newscasts on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Why the silence on the international reaction to the ugly reality?
7
The Republican Party, first with Nixon, then Reagan, and now Trump, has loudly demonstrated that playing the race card is the easiest, most efficient way to focus American workers on issues that are not in their best interests, economically or socially, and the best way to distract workers from their declining or stagnant wages, benefits and political influence.
4
Watch Trump’s press conferences. Reporters are afraid to tell him that he said all those terrible things about America when he was running for president. They are afraid he will revoke their privileges.
If you say “make America great again” doesn’t that presuppose America wasn’t great before that?
Imagine a Democrat saying make America great again.
9
Republican legislators have no backbone and principles to stand up against mob rule, led by Mr Trump.
Would it really hurt their careers if they were to take a stand for civility and decency?
They must think so.
5
As we grapple with the current landscape of heated rhetoric, racial strife and xenophobia, we should all be reminded of what happened in the summer 1919 in the United States:
"The Chicago race riot of 1919 was a major racial conflict of violence committed by ethnic white Americans against black Americans that began in Chicago, Illinois, on July 27, 1919, and ended on August 3. During the riot, thirty-eight people died (23 black and 15 white) and over five hundred were injured. It is considered the worst of the approximately 25 riots during the "Red Summer", so named because of the violence and fatalities across the nation. The combination of prolonged arson, looting, and murder made it the worst race riot in the history of Illinois." (source: Wikipedia)
One would hope that we can avoid a similar conflagration, although the increasingly vitriolic rhetoric is leading many to believe that once again we will experience a "Red Summer".
4
The headline on this story is wrong. It should read "Donald Trump TRIES to disavow the chant at his rally." Having started, having kicked it off at the rally with an attack on congresswoman Omar, Trump does not get to pull back from the ugliness. He owns it.
A kid starts a fight on a playground by walking over and hitting another kid in the face. That kid, in turn, hits another kit thinking he was the one who hit him. Soon, the whole playground is fighting with everyone else. Does the first kid get off because he tells the principal, "I didn't mean to start anything"?
Trump not only started the ball rolling on hating fellow American citizens and duly elected members of Congress, that is one of his central themes. Fox Noise and other outlets tell their captive audiences day and night that they are under threat from immigrants and Trump echoes and expands the fear tactics regularly.
Admit it, there were some ugly faces behind Trump yelling, "Send her back!" at the rally. The faces could have been beautiful by conventional interpretation, but they made themselves horridly ugly by their chant. Decent people do not treat US citizens this way. Indecent, angry and uninformed people have no problem acting like an out of control mob.
4
The entire rally was a setup. The chant was organized BEFORE Trump spoke by his daughter-in-law who rehearsed the crowd. Ludicrous to believe Trump did not know. All in all it was another Trump sideshow with perhaps some paid people in the audience.
6
This one said this, another one said the opposite and everybody is screaming.
The world's currencies are dependent on the U.S. Dollar.
If, confidence in America wavors, anything can happen -including a massive market crash. The national debt is not 21 trillion - its over 220 trillion (according to President Trump) - and he is right!
Nobody can afford this kind of scenario because we can all loose everything and you know it!
If there is the will, all problems can be put on the right track in short order.
Please, on a small scale, talk to others you disagree with - invite them to a cook out. They won't believe it-
make a gesture of good will and prove everybody wrong. America is a great country and it has a large heart for doing the right thing.
Mr. President, please invite the young ladies to a meeting and a dinner in the White House with no pre-conditions. You will all feel better and even though there are huge differences,
a notch of good will can go far beyong statements, tweets and screaming and invite Nancy and Chuck. Your Poll numbers will go through the ceiling-
Readers, say something good about others you disagree with. We have no other choice.
God bless America and everybody in the world.
1
I propose that at future rallies Democratic supporters, or just plain anyone who opposes what Trump has said & done, begin chanting: "lock him up," "throw him out," "send him back," etc., referencing TRUMP.
I believe it would catch on quickly, gain popular support, & build continuing momentum against Trump.
I also think it would hit Trump where it hurts, by challenging his ego.
3
The coverage has missed the evidence that the chant was staged and scripted as part of a scripted performance read entirely from a teleprompter (No ad libs...)
The chant first broke out in a pause just before the line about "anti-Semitic screeds", and then quickly quieted, before crescendoing back up to it's high point in the long pause after that remark. What I heard there (as a one-time professor of stage directing) was a few members of a chorus jumping their cue. Why else would they have started, then quieted but only for a few seconds? They almost immediately realized that most of the group wasn't with them, thus "Oops. That wasn't the right spot!"
IOW, the WHOLE THING, including to the chants, was staged and scripted.
3
He stood there and let them chant. Anyone can watch the whole thing on tape.
He is racist and so are the supporters who chanted that. And furthermore, Israel has nothing to do with the whole thing either.
7
Well, even the Italians got rid of their dictator, Mussolini. Sometimes Fascism leads to a dismal end.
6
trump is a racist. No matter what color lipstick you put on this pig.
and the republicans are enablers.
Congresswoman Omar is a citizen and she can disagree with trump any time she wants to. I love America but I hate trump leading us into darkness. We
8
Trump said they should go back.
FDR the darling of progressives, rounded up Japanese Americans, lead mass deportations of people of Mexican descent and sent a boat full of Jews fleeing the Nazis back to Europe.
When I first heard about this I thought about the early years of hitler and the brown shirts. Having a leader speak as trump does gives permission to his followers to act out on the rhetoric. When the GOP started showing support for militias in the 90s and badmouthing government you got the Oklahoma bombing. What’s in store this time?
7
The words genie with bottle and toothpaste with tube come to mind.
This rabble-rouser we have now saddled ourselves with is moving his MAGA folks along the brownshirts path, all the while declaiming his responsibility for its occurrence. Do not think that this is just another alarmist call-out to history; this is serious people!
3
Democrats will blow this, bigly. The demographic revolution will come, but the important thing NOW is to get that lying groper-in-chief out of the WH and take control of the senate. Even if that means a moderate, old school corporate democrat.
Patience!
2
Congressmember Ilhan Omar is not anti-Jewish.
I am aware of one member of Congress whom has lost a close family member in the Nazi holocaust. The brother of Senator Bernie Sanders' father was murdered by the Nazis. I have recently received 3 e-mails from Bernie Sanders, asking me to donate to Ilhan Omar's campaign fund. It doesn't sound like this Jewish member of Congress thinks that Ilhan Omar is anti-Jewish.
9
Here's a thought NYT: hire an editor who can properly review the sentence "an assertion clearly contradicted by video of the event" into "an outright lie and mis-characterization of the truth". Until YOU start telling the truth, you're helping the President lie.
7
Trump rally: part Jerry Springer TV, part pro wrestling, part fascist Nazi rally.
All the lowest of American culture and dangerous spectacles for democracy.
Decent peopl can only watch in disgust.
17
I am embarrassed for our country. We are the laughing stocks of the world. We used to be the strongest country but not so much now. We have a leader that is a bully and a liar, puts people out of business, and has NO respect for women and children.
Why is this evil, narcissistic, blood sucking crook still in office? He is the reincarnation of Hitler and the people in America who voted for him just don't get it. I hope they start getting it before it's too late and he gets us into a nuclear war. He hasn't made any allies only enemies.
9
Once again we are witnessing how ineffective Democrats are in exploiting the gifts that Mr. Trump is handing them on silver platters. If a Democrat president murmured something that remotely sounds like any of Mr. Trump's racist utterances, he/she would be crucified by the Fox News right-wing commentators. But we are hearing only a few whimpers, here and there, from the flag-bearers of democracy.
The liberal media seem to be either extremely afraid of becoming Mr. Trump's tweet targets or are worried giving him too much exposure. The fact is, he is the POTUS and he gets domestic and international exposure as much as he wants. However, to his supporters, absence of thorough criticism of his actions and statements is an indication that the liberal media are in fact closet supporters of his views.
Let me give you an example. Yesterday, Mr. Trump claimed that he did not encourage his supporters in their racist chants "send her back" and even tried to stop them. Anyone who watched the speech knows that is a lie. Evidently, Mr. Trump has come under pressure from senior Republicans to back off from racist remarks. And, subsequently, he demonstrated that he does not give a damn about his supporters and has no qualms throwing them under the bus when it becomes politically convenient for him.
So, the question is: has there been any robust effort by the liberal media to convey that important message to Mr. Trump's supporters? I have not seen any. Have you?
1
This from a lying narcissistic sociopath who continues to do the same thing over, and over, and over. HE IS A RACIST without question and has called all of his racist supporters at the latest rally "great patriots". If those are great patriots, what would Hitler have said? Probably the same.
Again, this from an idiot who did not even know about the Iraqi refugee who won the Nobel Prize and was seeking refuge in this country. I hope that embarrassed the crap out of him - he's worthless and evil.
3
Do we all remember Hillary being pilloried for observing that a portion of Trump's followers were "despicable"? I do believe even Maureen Down took part in painting HRC as intolerant... Well, we've had three years of undiluted "despicable" from Trump, his base, members of his administration such as Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kelly Ann Conway, Stephen Miller, and his uber conservative Supreme Court. It's time to turn these scoundrels out!
19
Not a racist bone in his body? How about the only non-racist bone is his backbone, but only because he doesn’t have one, just like the rest of the Republican leadeship.
16
"Trump disavows..."
It makes no, zero, none difference to the Trumpists, and the Republican Party. They know...
8
The sad reality is that people soon forget the chants like "Send her back"
Another sad reality is "The group of four " young black congresswomen are the best thing that has happened to Trump.
With all of this considered, The Las Vegas odds have Trump favored to win the presidency, again.
Don't minimise Las Vegas odds. Big money is at stake there and the Vegas odds are as accurate as any other.
The democrat's problem is too much intelligence is at play every day. Everybody has strong opinions because they are
real thinkers, fair minded and they care so the differences show up brightly in spades (Highlighting all the differences)
and much like the mess in the Israeli elections with constant bickering.(See where they are,currently)
With this in mind, the odds continue to favor Trump even with his continuing vile remarks along the way, as president and before.
4
I just donated to Rep. Omar's reelection campaign. I suggest others do the same. I don't always agree with her, but that's the American way.
12
He is a man with running sore on his soul. Sometimes you can cover it up with fine gauze, but this time Mr. Trump shows what he really is. Utterly ugly.
8
I hate to say to Representative Walker and other Republicans who hope to contain this, but the genie's out of the bottle. And in part because you all - for your own craven purposes - didn't keep the bottle safe...
7
The racist chant was joined by the white evangelical pastor who had led prayer before POTUS spoke.
14
The interesting thing here is that Trump is walking back his statements, and he is distancing himself from the chants, this marks the first time Trump has ever done something like this, Could it be his performance in North Carolina freaked out his own staff and family, who saw the President take things way too far, seemingly lost in the power and sway he had over that crowd. Power is the most addictive substance on earth, one feels Trump was met with an intervention when he returned to the White House.
5
No this is one of many times he has backtracked. Don’t forget the double talk in Charlottesville.
2
To take a break from all of this, I packed up my dog and we went dining alfresco in a beautiful little town here in middle Tennessee. Listening in on the conversations of those around me, I was intrigued. They were toasting to Trump, they were supportive of his words, they were happy and joyful. I looked out to the street, and saw a large pick up truck sporting two Trump 2020 bumper stickers, while two identical American flags jostled in the wind, supported by plastic sticks extending out of both windows of the extended cab. I took a sip of my white wine, and realized that this scene is playing out all over the United States at this exact moment. In my mind I visualized a map of the United States, superimposed with expanding concentric circles; how far out would the circles have to expand to find a place where a scene like this would NOT be taking place? The circles in my mind expanded all the way to the coasts. I visualized rural Tennessee, moving south and west through Mississippi, Louisiana, into Texas. I visualized Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas. I visualized Georgia, Florida, the Carolinas, West Virginia...it’s all Trump. America is Trump. What Trump believes, America believes. Perhaps living in the South for the last two years has shattered my hope, or maybe I’m finally seeing America for what she really is. Either way, I ordered another glass of wine, as the middle aged women sitting at the table next to me toasted to “four more years.”
12
I hear you. It is so very sad. I have always spoke my mind but being down here now I keep quiet, go home and send my comments. It’s safer that way. Too bad these generations are so removed from the countries their grandparents came from. Mine risked a lot traveling back and forth to Poland she would be afraid and sad things have gotten this bad.
2
Now he's claiming the media got it wrong he really wasn't trying to stop the chant, and that the people chanting are “fine patriots.”
He's also claiming there were 20K people in an arena that only holds 8K. According to Bloomberg's Josh Wingrove there were empty seats. By tomorrow it will be a completely different story.
11
This is a woman who appears to have broken US tax and immigration laws with at least one fraudulent "marriage" but got elected to Congress anyway and now denounces the country that took her in from a refugee camp after her family (or perhaps a different family that she fraudulently claimed) fled Somalia -- where US forces at the time were laying their lives on the line to quell sectional violence.
Moreover, despite the conclusion of self-appointed judges of what is and isn't racist, the chant to "send her back" doesn't fall into that category. It may be objectionable for other reasons, but the essence of it is geography, not race.
3
@Pelham
Here you have an American lawmaker, duly elected by American citizens, who happens to defend ideas that Bernie Sanders defends too, as does 15% of the American people (and on many issues a majority of the American people), and instead of explaining why he disagrees, Trump tells her that she doesn't have the right to have those ideas and if she wants to continue to represent the ideas of her American voters, she should leave the country and go living in a country she wasn't born in, with horrible living conditions, and you STILL don't see that this is a racist remark ... ?!
In that case, could you please explain how you define racism, more precisely?
By the way, how can you criticize someone's tax returns when you support a politician who refuses to even show them to the American people?
Finally, she's not "denouncing the country that took her", she's criticizing GOP policies.
Since when is that an un-American thing to do ... ?
3
apparently mr. trump thinks people don't watch news programs or read newspapers. We saw and heard him say these congresswomen should go back from where they came.
3
If you want to fix this vote for the Democrat next November. As in 2016, protest voting for a 3rd party candidate or not voting will be voting for Trump.
7
Trump embodies the perils of having the Head of State and the head of government embodied in one person. Criticism of the latter is taken to be treason to the former. Fortunately, Trump is no Louis XIV
3
He just disavowed his disavowal. He doubled down. The crowd were incredible patriots. Omar hates America and says disgraceful things, etc.
t's the weekend, Ilhan Omar should go home and forget about this for a few days. So should the rest of us. We cannot let this guy dominate our days.
VOTE BLUE. NO MATTER WHO.
4
Who, on either side of the political spectrum could watch this little "retraction" or disavowal and believe it? This man has done nothing for two years but incite division and hate and use these charged moments for his own purpose to distract from even more pressing matters.
I cannot imagine what it would take for those elected officials in the senate and house to say, 'oh, this guy is not serving his nation, is not fulfilling his oath of office, is inciting hatred and violence and destroying our environment. Oh, and destroying the agencies that do the work of our government. He needs to go.'
they won't even censure clearly racist comments let alone take action to fulfill their own oaths to protect our nation and uphold its laws.
3
"In response, Mr. Trump disavowed the behavior of his own supporters . . . ." This is the irony--that the people he respects the least are his most ardent supporters. Because although he lies to everyone, he knows that only the people he needs to keep fooling are the ones who will support him. And sadly, his defenders are willing to oblige, eagerly denying what their own eyes saw and what their own ears heard. It could be a matter of ignorance, naivete, apathy, maybe even convenience. But when the lies are this blatant, it's definitely complicity.
1
How can he "disavow" the chants of hate that he himself created and then encouraged at the hate rally?
Trump is not disavowing anything. He is simply trying to run away from his own creation.not because he is repudiating it but because he has noticed that everybody else has.
4
Food for thought:
White nationalists rallying in Portland are met with milkshakes by private citizens. - no first amendment violation because private citizens have shown up to repudiate hate speech.
President riles supporters until they want to use the government to extrajudicially exile a congresswoman and US citizen for disagreeing with the President - first amendment violation, not to mention fascist.
There's no middle ground here - one side is following the letter and spirit of the Constitution (even if you disagree with their methods), while the other would tear it up to keep America hateful and nativist. Who are you going to stand with?
3
Ha...he's already disavowed the disavowal!
5
Regarding Lindsey Graham's statement: “I don’t think a Somali refugee embracing Trump would be asked to go back."
It's good to know that he would give a Trump-supporting person of color a special dispensation to stay in this country. It does appear, however, that he must be calling for white Trump-"nonembracers" to return to their countries of origin. I think I missed that statement of his.
4
Trump is fanning the flames of fires that once started are very hard to put out.
3
Trump said they should go back.
FDR SENT them back...
Trump lies compulsively like a terrified four-year-old. Which is what he seems at heart.
5
13 seconds. POTUS paused for 13 seconds as the chant continued.
6
Facism defined: Fascism is a form of government which is a type of one-party dictatorship. Fascists are against democracy. ... Fascism puts nation and often race above the individual. It stands for a centralized government headed by a dictator. Historically, fascist governments tend to be militaristic, and racist.
We aren't there yet, but careening perilously close. Especially after watching the crowd go wild at the GOP Trump rally in NC.
4
I agree wholeheartedly with all those commenting about how vile the president is. On a different note, I truly wish the Times would stop giving life to the nickname the squad for these women. I think it fuels the fire of trumps base since in their minds, a squad can be nothing but a military unit used to hunt down and take care of a problem. (Oh if that were only the case). Personally, I dont think it's good for our conversation on these issues, nor is it particularly accurate, as their views do not necessarily represent those of the majority of dems.
6
@JG I agree! There is also something demeaning about the nickname that makes them seem like a pop music group instead of four duly elected officials.
4
According to The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page this morning:
“Donald Trump rarely admits a mistake, so we’ll take the regret he expressed Thursday at the chant of “send her back” during his Wednesday rally as the moral equivalent of an apology.”
Start the fire and get praise from one of the leading Conservative publications for putting it out. Right.
16
The people who claimed that liberals are intolerant of accepting any contradictory views, are now chanting to send a citizen "back" to a country because her ideologies are different. This is the epitome of the irony, hypocrisy, and intolerance that pervades in this country.
This crowd is suppressed from the reality that its own party works actively against its interests and towards the goals of corporate America. Using immigrants as scapegoats has proven effective for Trump's base. I just wonder what the Democratic party's next move is in attracting these types of voters while maintaining a civility the Republican party so clearly lacks.
10
@Lue
The Dems don’t need to attract these people. They need to get out the 65%+ that don’t support Trump.
1
We need a leader who considers before he steps in it. Trump is the Charley of American politics. Full of it and known for being full of it.
When I walk on unfamiliar ground I tend to be more alert to possible pitfalls. We elected a leader who lacks that nature. So rather than making anything great Trump collects goo on our national political shoes demonstrating the full extent of what is meant by being an Ugly American.
What really hurts here is politicians continue to play a zero sum game staining the essential fabric of our country by choosing back with our clueless president rather than to sustain our principles.
I'm not with those who say we are lurching toward any despotic future. Rather I\m encouraged to stand for those principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence where we declared to be guided by high long term social ideals rather than short term outcomes.
2
Ilhan Omar is the only member of the Squad who was born in another country. Trump’s tweet that the Squad should go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places where they were from, and then come back and show us how it is done was likely aimed at her.
These tweets do not say that she should no longer consider herself to be a citizen of our country. They point out that in comparison to the U.S., Somalia is broken. If she thinks otherwise, she could go back there and try to help fix it. If successful, she could share her knowledge with us. But, the chances are that she will be unable to help fix it which should make her more appreciative of the U.S.
No, America, is not perfect like her father apparently promised her when she was little. Every group that has moved here has suffered discrimination. Ben Franklin worried about Germans moving here. English disliked the Irish. Northern Europeans looked down on southern Europeans. African Americans have suffered the most discrimination, but matters are improving.
Omar’s relatives held government posts in Somalia and would have had the sophistication to have known that America was not perfect.
Yes, refugees usually have to take the lowest jobs and work their way up. If Somalis continue to demand more resources by making themselves out to be victims of discrimination, they should not be surprised if America declines to again begin accepting thousands of Somali refugees.
4
@ann
Congratulations on the best piece written in support of moral relativity and whataboutery that I have seen in years
7
Feel free to speculate, by which I mean feel free to make up a ton of stuff, but back here on earth, Trump was careful to emphasize that he meant all four, not just one person.
6
@ann It's sad to see Trump supporters twist language into knots trying to rationalize his racist outbursts. His original tweet specifically addressed "Democratic Congresswomen" and used plural pronouns/verbs. That tweet and his subsequent attacks are clearly not meant to single out Rep. Omar alone; the language he's used has been quite clear.
And so what Omar was originally from Somalia, or that Somalia is a "broken" state? She is now an American citizen and an elected politician in this country; it's her right and now her job to call out what's amiss in this country (not in Somalia), and to work to improve inequities in order to serve her constituents. The idea that immigrants don't have the right to call out racism, discrimination, and other ills in America, and instead should be showing blind allegiance out of gratitude because it's better here than where they originally came from--is outright ludicrous.
Last but not least--what things has Rep. Omar actually said that are so offensive that they can be framed as anti-American? Let's see her own words in their original context, and not Trump's lies and distortions.
2
So Lindsey Graham doesn't "think a Somali refugee embracing Trump would be asked to go back." Does that mean that Lindsey thinks a U.S. citizen who was born in Somalia but does not embrace Trump *would* be? How about the rest of us citizens who abhor Trump?
8
It only did Trump not try to stop the chant, he was SWAYING with it!
8
Someone explain to me what is wrong with fixing the wealth disparity in this country? What is the problem with saying healthcare is a right not a privilege? Why not protect our planet? These are issues the congresswomen want. This man succeeds at deflecting the focus on what we should be talking about. We KNOW he is a racist. We do not need to discuss it again.
For the LOVE of this country he cannot win again.
7
I don’t understand the double standards the media uses when analyzing Representative Ilhan Omar’s comments and President Trump’s comments. If the same comments made by Representative llhan Omar were spoken by the President, or any other white male politicians, the media would have gone mad to criticize those words. On the other hand, if a colored minority woman talks about patriotism, the media probably would praise her instead of ridiculing her to death. The media has played an important role in our democracy and I, as a citizen, am grateful for its service. That’s why I continue to subscribe to newspapers even though I sometimes disagree. But if the news media, on both left and right, is so biased that opinions are dressed as facts to serve one’s own ideology and real facts become minor footnotes, what kind of country do we have, if not divided. The media has blamed many factors for current unfortunate state of our country and also blamed each other, but what we, as a democracy, are in urgent need, is not the blame game, but the news media’s own self-reflection. Is it drifting too far to the emotion side? Which is more important: full facts or a single quote in a headline? What is the media’s top priority: to inform or to promote? At last, does the news media have a home country or is it a global citizen? In the ideal state, we hope we don’t have to choose but in reality, we do. It is my sincere hope that news media can unify instead of dividing this country.
1
This was his Jumped The Shark moment! The Dems now have all the ammunition they need ...
2
This is the President. He should not need to be "pressured" by the GOP. We'd tell him to "go home," but NYC doesn't want him.
5
Pretty easy to take something back when what you said already served it's purpose.
4
How can President Trump disparage his supporters for chanting his words as he moves to the chant and says nothing. Try listen to, in depth, what Omar and the other actually say rather than his interpretation of their words. Then listen to Trump disparage the chanters and disagree. He would throw them all under the bus if it meant his re-election. Sad
3
"Mr. Walker, who attended the rally on Wednesday night, later posted on Twitter that he had “struggled” with the chant. “We cannot be defined by this,” he said."
Oh yes, you can! This is who the Republican party is! As we get closer to the 2020 election, the DNCCC and DSCC should be putting out ads that contain that chant and attach it to every Republican running.
And then it's up to all of us to VOTE!
5
Do Trump supporters now realize, after he threw the North Carolina people waving Trump placards, under the bus, that he cares about no-one but himself. Think again, Trumpers, you can do better.
2
How long will the GOP and their Voters remain silent?
3
@Gene by GOP and their voters, do you mean the people chanting racist slogan's at Trumps rallies? B/c that's them!
1
Trump's allies were wrong to warn him that he's playing with fire. He's really playing with nitroglycerine.
2
During his campaign, Trump didn't have a single good thing to say about America. Suddenly he wants the tables turned on those freshmen Congressional newbies who recognize where improvement is needed.
Can Trump and his worshiping minions all say "we're hypocrites"?
7
There is a profound highly implausible theory here that Trump,
whose daughter and grandchildren are Jewish, does not take Omar's vicious antisemitism very personally.
Grandparents will tell you something very different.
1
Trump said that reporters should "go ask them" about why they chanted "Send Her Back" at the rally in Carolina.
Yes! Go ask them and document their responses!!
5
Send Trump back to his NewYork tower in 2020, and let's all move forward without him.
1
We'll see how much he doesn't like it the next Rally.
5
Honestly I am not holding Trump any more responsible for our current awfulness than I would a dog messing on the carpet. He is simple, low-IQ and the product of a system that progresses privilege regardless of merit or ability.
However, I do hold every supporter, pundit, voter, staff member & financier responsible. If you pull the lever, wear the hat, go to the rally, etc, at this point, you are complicit in supporting a racist, criminal, sexual assaulter.
I don't care if you want stronger borders, or lower taxes, or if it is better for the economy in your opinion. I don't care if you like his judges or believe is smaller government or even have an irrational fear of the word "socialist".
You are responsible. You are accountable. History will look at you for the lasting effects on America.
5
Does "Send Her Back" also include the First Lady, or is she too white for that?
9
“I don’t think it’s racist to say,” Lindsey Graham told reporters. “I don’t think a Somali refugee embracing Trump would be asked to go back. If you’re racist, you want everybody to go back because they are black or Muslim."
So only agreeing with a country's leader will spare you from not being asked to leave. Not agreeing can get you expelled. Not much of a choice is that? I believe that is the definition of fascism.
3
Even an act of congress isn't enough to get Donald Trump acting like a decent human being, let alone being presidential.
What an embarrassment for the people of this country.
6
So Trump is disavowing a chant he inspired with a racist tweet? NYT, you guys need to get more comfortable with using the word "lie".
Trump said in another statement,"Well, these are people that love our country. I want them to keep loving our country."
Also, we should stop saying he is trying to rile up his base and say he is trying to rile up other racists. We need to stop legitimizing other Americans with racist thoughts.
3
Trump even throws his famous “base” under the bus when he needs to make himself look good, or to address negative press.
If I were a member of that herd, it would make me think twice about being one of his blind followers
1
There are no books about Trump praising him a "bad boy who made good." McConnell and Graham know what they are dealing with. Using him for all his ignorant worth. He's on their turf and doesn't know it. They have out-conned the con.
3
New GOP slogan for 2020: “Racism. It’s All We Got.”
7
Let's think of an analogy to speaking out about what one thinks needs improving in America, or what is wrong with it and us.
If your child does something wrong, do you say something? If you are a good parent, yes. If you say something, to criticize or correct that child, is because you hate the child? Just the opposite. Must you then go back to not being a parent if you find fault with your child? Absurd.
Think of parents who can find no wrong with their children. Who never correct them, or seek to help them grow and become better citizens. That's the child you find spoiled, obnoxious and entitled. The one you don't want your kids hanging out with.
13
@Larry Luckily, a majority of Americans don't count racist chants, and blatantly racist behavior as "speaking out about what needs "improving" in America". I suppose that in your world view keeping children seeking asylum in cages rather than affording them the due process that the law requires, is simply good parenting? To continue your analogy, I sure wouldn't want my children to hang out with you.
1
Oh spare us the ongoing PR efforts of the ever spinning Ivanka, rebuking Donald behind the scenes. I do not buy it for an instant.
She’s off gallivanting merrily at the G20, witlessly inserting herself when career professionals are sidelined. The net effect is of course to pad her CV while shortchanging America in terms of advancing policy and making us look like a banana republic by sending the leader’s spawn to “represent” us. An alternative interpretation is that the doddering fool, who in photographs, increasingly appears diapered, cannot travel without a caretaker.
But when Donald reverts to wild type and shows his racist bona fides, Ivanka is not brave enough to speak up. But she would have us know that she disapproves. Drip, drip, drip, come the leaks. Meanwhile, Jared thought the tweet was fine.
Anyway, Donald is back to hurling invective. You can’t keep a loud mouth racist like Donald quiet for long. He’s entitled to air his views. I am sure that’s what he and MAGA nation would say. It’s just the rest of us that need to shut up since we don’t agree.
18
Bets on how fast he walks this one back?
5
@Liza
He already has...
1
Now why would we believe what we hear and see him say on camera when he tells us he didn't say it?
13
Trump claims to love this country, yet he has demonstrably lied to win the presidency, credibly obstructed justice, undermines the Constitution, violates his oath of office, has cheated the country out of millions in taxes, defended neo-Nazis, and oversees the imprisonment of children seeking a better life here in the United States.
Thanks, but no thanks.
13
Mitch McConnell stated Thursday morning that "Trump was onto something" with his "send her back" strategy.
Sounds like it's time to fire up a "Send Elaine Chao back to her country" campaign.
Don't hold back, Democrats.
22
@D. DeMarco
and let's not forget Melania and her parents. I sure won't miss any of them. They're all grifters.
7
The hosts and participants of the Trump rally on the campus of East Carolina University at Greenville, North Carolina, are as culpable as Trump. An apology has come from Mayor P.J. Connelly and the local Democratic Party but apologies from everyone else are as abundant as Trump's words during the chant. This town and any other town that allows such unAmerican behaviour to occur without apologies deserves to be boycotted.
8
Oh c’mon ... for Trump lying is the norm ... the truth is not something that matters to him
5
Today he may have "disavowed" the vile chant...but, just wait. Just like "lock her up" was repeated at virtually every Trump rally during the last election, so will "send her back" be repeated at every future Trump rally....
8
i don't see the difference between a crowd saying 'send her back' back and Trump's Tweets. They are simply repeating what he said like children. Why would a crowd saying it be looked a differently then our own president saying it? There's no reasoning or logic to the Republican party.
10
The four Social Democrats really need to help their, and their parents, third world countries before casting stones at the United States of America that gives them an opulent life and easy lifestyle...Ingrates!
3
@Moe
Meanwhile, your president continues to turn our once-great nation into a third world country.
He cozies up with dictators. He attempts to rule unilaterally by fiat and executive order. He defies the Supreme Court and Congress. He lines his pockets, selling U.S. foreign policy to the highest bidder, in violation of the Emoluments Clause. He tramples upon the U.S. Constitution on a daily basis.
Perhaps we should fix our own newly third world country first, by voting Mr. Trump out of office.
2
These four women are elected representatives of their districts filled with people who voted for them by casting a majority of ballots. If their constituents don't like them, they can vote them out in the next election. That is more than Trump can say for himself. Hillary won the popular vote by 3 million ballots and he was selected by the outmoded and undemocratic Electoral College. Three of these female representatives were born in the US; the fourth is a citizen who came to this country as a LEGAL refugee, unlike Melania or her chain migration parents and sibling.
2
Why? Traump’s said worse about this country than they ever have.
3
When it comes down to it, what is the real difference between his tweets saying people should "go back" and the chants of "send her back"? How can he disavow one thing while saying the other. His statement, coming from the president, means the same thing as the crowd's statement. This is crazy town.
7
The frank fact of the matter is that a majority of the GOP and those at Fox know they are playing with fire. They know these chants and racist statements are regressive and un-American. They know this is how violence spills over into mainstream America where one set of people attack another.
In a way, although I am a white male and not Muslim, I do believe this attack on Omar and these women is an attack on myself. For those of us who are not of the right wing, these racist attacks are well beyond politics as usual. We have an obligation to criticize and condemn the outrageous lying racist in the whitehouse. The GOP and Fox may not understand this but when people start going for each other than the ability to control events is lost. Fox makes money off the race insinuations and race-baiting on their programs. This is simply stoking the flames of resentment based on ignorance. To give vent to racism pleases their audience, makes them money, but wreaks havoc in America.
To deny the truth is to give up on America. The GOP better get its head back in the game. There is a time when they will not be able to control this.
9
“Ugly” phrase? The title should be “Racist” phrase. Call it what it is.
9
According to The Wall Street Journal this morning, the chant was, “raw nativism”, not racism. Additionally it was described as an “impulse”, as if to say it was not premeditated or prompted by previous events.
Please don’t dismiss this as a fringe opinion.
I did say what you heard me not say. 'Murica
2
Trump threw his own supporters under the bus! Did you see that?
"Pressed on why he did not stop it, Mr. Trump said, “I think I did — I started speaking very quickly.” In fact, as the crowd roared “send her back,” Mr. Trump paused and looked around silently for more than 10 seconds as the scene unfolded in front of him, doing nothing to halt the chorus. “I didn’t say that,” he added. “They did.”
Good old Donald. You can always trust him to throw somebody else overboard. Only this time it was his own supporters.
Do you think they noticed?
6
Without HATE the GOP is nothing.
12
Since trump just said, "Those people in North Carolina --that stadium was packed. It was a record crowd.....those are incredible people. Those are incredible patriots," you might want to update your headline and your story.
5
@C Feher ... and then went on to attak Omar, saying 'she should be grateful, and is a disgrace'.
Get off the couch and vote next time. Please.
8
The South's "true heroes" are Civil War traitors who really, truly tried to destroy this country, and in the South these mass murderers are worshipped. Something to remember.
9
Omar wants power.
O uses full-blown socialism as bait: freebies = votes.
Omar wants open borders.
Omar is a radical extremist.
Omar does not care about "the people."
Omar just wants power.
2
@99percent
Trump wants power.
Trump uses full-blown socialism as bait: freebies = votes.
- His $billions in vote-buying bailouts to farmers due to his tariffs and endless trade wars.
Trump wants completely closed borders.
- Except for a few white Europeans, like his third wife.
Trump is a radical extremist.
Trump does not care about "the people."
Trump just wants power.
5
I hope you are kidding. Otherwise it is all lies circulated by sociopaths.
1
“the hashtag #SendHerBack was trending Thursday on Twitter.”
Do we really need to know this? In the US there are 70 million users (god knows how many are bots/fake accounts). The country has a population of 320 million and the world has 8 billion. Stop giving this platform so much attention and credit. I swear, it is featured in every single article.
5
Trump: maybe you can say that what you meant was that the St. Louis Cardinals should send Tommy Herr back to the minors. It is less far-fetched than other things your administration has claimed.
Good luck!
3
" an assertion clearly contradicted by video of the event. "
Dear Gray Lady -
Can't you say "He lied." yet?
10
Ilhan Omar is an anti-Semitic hater of Israel. However, I do not wish her harm. She is an American citizen, was democratically elected, and has fully accepted responsibility for her own intolerant words. She understands that remorse requires a change in behavior. Your president would be wise to take a lesson from her.
4
Does criticizing Israel make one anti-Semitic?
3
@Yitzhak One can criticize the politics of Israel without being an anti-Semite, or even a hater of Israel--just the same as criticizing this country does not mean one is anti-American or a hater of America.
2
@Yitzhak
Criticism of Israel is not the same thing as antisemitism.
Particularly with the policies of your Netanyahu administration.
2
In a world where everything is recorded, this maniac is truly the Teflon candidate. “Who are you going to believe, me, or your lying eyes?”
6
Mark Walker: “We cannot be defined by this,”.
Dude, the GOP has been defined by this for two years. You’ve been supporting a lying racist all this time. Are you just now noticing this?
7
@ Kamwick
“two years”? Me thinks your memory has lapsed.
1
The parasite in our White House joins the likes of Dylann Roof and Charles Manson in trying to foment a race war. If I believed in "karma," I'd have to wonder if this country had done something bad in its past to deserve this. But I believe in cause and effect. Close enough.
5
The GOP might think this will blow over. But there is a large segment of independent voters in this country that aren’t going to plug their noses and vote for Trump this time around.
4
@John Adams
From one president to another, I certainly hope you're correct.
2
I’m the daughter of an immigrant. No one has ever- not even once- told me or a member of my family to “go back where you came from”. Hmmm could it be because pops is a white European?
Trump and his lackeys are racist. That’s known fact. The real issue is whether or not the right number of voting Americans regard that as a disqualifying feature to run our nation. Hopefully this idiotic, dangerous display convinces a few more people that it is indeed unacceptable. VOTE.
7
@Emma
"I’m the daughter of an immigrant. No one has ever- not even once- told me or a member of my family to “go back where you came from”. Hmmm could it be because pops is a white European?"
Could be because you don't grandstand on MSNBC and propose radical socialist policy, attack jews, push open borders and freebies for illegal immigrants, and diss 911.
1
Show me in his original tweets where he refers to the Congresswomen's skin color.
PShow me where he questions these Congresswomen citizenship? To be in Congress you MUST be a citizen.
Trump tweeted "Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how........it is done", which isn't even close to only just saying "Go Back" and therefore his tweet wasn't racist.
The media and the left take words out of context in order to promote a false narrative.
The days later Omar introduces a resolution to make legal the BDS movement, which is Anti-Semitic and Advocates Illegal Discrimination against Jews.
Then you have Ayanna Pressley last weekend saying if you are black and don't speak for black OR if you are brown and don't speak for browns....then we don't want you. Excuse me but that is an actual racist statement.
With Trump you have to take words out of context, you have to imply intent, and you have to add your own thoughts to his own to begin to even try to call him a racist and still you will fail.
With the Squad their comments and submitted resolutions prove that you should be afraid of their stances and goals for they are most likely racists and indeed you should take note.
2
Thank you for that excellent example of whataboutery. Very useful.
5
I was against impeachment until this happened. These women were elected by the citizens living in their districts. They were elected to be the people's voice in DC. When the president disrespects the congresswomen, he jeopardizes their safety and insults their constituents.
149
Admit the truth: Every inhabitant on the planet holds some form of racial and cultural bias.
Anyone who possesses the innate ability to love or admire others for their physical, intellectual and cultural traits, has the same predisposition to dislike others based on their particular qualities.
When people state that they "are not racists," they are either in denial or they're concealing it.
That's the human condition.
@Michael. So what are you saying, that what happened is o.k.? No. It is not o.k.
2
@Michael Indeed, but we have been taught, that since we mostly have to co-operate with other tribes, we best not raise our heads above the parapet, otherwise, there are those who will be violent. One of the jobs of President is 'for the people', not for the 'white people' or 'for only those who voted for me', and to demonise every other person.
Particulalry relevant, surely in a country of 'immigrants'.
2
@Michael
Of course we all have some form of racial or cultural bias. Are you saying it's hopeless and that we have no capacity for self awareness, reflection, insight, compassion or willingness to look at and challenge our conditioned beliefs?
I certainly have racist, sexist, homophobic and ageist reactions. I have a choice with with what I do about it. We can choose to feed our deep rooted biases or we can engage in the effort to grow and expand our capacity to embrace our COMMON humanity.
3
I suppose the new Trump election slogan could be "lock her up, don't send her back" - a play on nostalgia for the last election?
Anyone who believes the chanting was spontaneous needs a reality check. Those people weren't all simultaneously inspired. It was carefully orchestrated by someone who obviously thought this would gain Trump some additional support. He let it go on for 15 seconds before opening his mouth again with yet another statement guaranteed to add fuel to the fire. I think this was a test run to see how it would fly with the voting public.
30
And now he can back down deny and repeat as the media moves on to the next super important story about something utterly irrelevant to ordinary working folk.
I do not know which side is worse anymore.
Oh, come now. It was only 12 seconds!
1
When Trump ran in 2016, he had people at the front (on the floor) leading the chants. Did he have his campaign workers or supporters doing this the other day?
Please report on this in relation to this rally and to others.
18
And they said Rome would never fall, and the sun would never set on the British Empire. This country is slowly collapsing from within as it fights to stay nice and white in a ever shrinking world all because Trump is scared of a women in a headscarf. This is most certainly the century of China.
19
@Scrumper they are pretty scared of women in headscarfs too though https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-rights/15-million-muslims-could-be-detained-in-chinas-xinjiang-academic-idUSKCN1QU2MQ
If you go to the Fox News web site today, there is no mention of Trump claiming to stop the chant or not approving of it. I think he does these things knowing his base loves it and when he lies about it afterwards to the rest of the country, his base won't even know because Fox, Breitbart et al., won't report on it. I think this is how he keeps his base and some swing voters.
13
@Sports Medicine
Trump doesn’t demand patriotism. He demands loyalty to him. He demands agreement with his agenda. He wants to equate these things with patriotism, which is what authoritarian leaders do.
16
@CV To paraphrase from Saddam Hussein, 'the people are never wrong, I am the people.'
2
Wait. Trump tweeted that they should go back. But he's not happy that his supporters chanted to send them back.
And all these republicans are denouncing the chant but not trump's tweet.
Can somebody explain the difference to me?
14
Did it occur to anyone to wonder how all these people around the auditorium knew or made the same chant as at a signal?
People in Greenville observed planeloads of people flew into the airport in Greenville to attend the Trump Rally on Wednesday night; it seems likely they were coached to make the chant. Also at some point, Trump took questions, and people from certain businesses, as it's being reported locally here, paid for him to answer them.
10
This becomes a question of leadership. Which politician can capture the attention of those in Trump's thrall and show them that his answers are the wrong answers? I hope there is someone among the Democratic presidential candidates who will rise to the challenge.
2
"Frets" over ugly phrase? If they had an ounce of integrity, backbone, empathy in them the republicans would be condemning that ugly phrase. Yet McConnell, Graham, and the hideous Bill Barr are wringing their poor little hands all the way to the bank. This is about power and power is about money. They don't care how many lives they ruin.
11
Is it common for the New York Times to distinguish between a political party and presidential “supporters”? Throughout the Times I read about Trump and “his supporters”. What information do you have that restrains you from calling supporters (of the Republican President) Republicans?
Perhaps this is common practice and I just don’t recall hearing about Clinton supporters or Bush supporters—- just Democrats and Republicans.
My instinct is that we are all operating under a delusion brought on by magical thinking and defunct assumptions that there are “bad Trump Supporters” and “worthy opponent Republicans”.
Check and see what the precedent is for this.
5
Isn't Trump standing there silently at the rally, while his supporters chant, the same thing Michael Cohen talked about when he said Trump gives instructions by talking in 'code'? Someone in his campaign came up with the slogan, and Trump's silence gives his permission for the crowd to keep using it. Then, only when he receives backlash, he pretends he 'wasn't happy with the chant' and blames the crowd. He's pathetic.
8
I was convinced Trump would claim that he wasn't even there until Andy Borowitz turned it into a joke
10
Anyone who is surprised by this latest racist screed from the man/child who purports to lead us - the us being not the United States but the terrified remnants of a racist, social order - has not been paying attention. We are witnessing the rise of a Dictator who has no policies, no guiding principals, no core beliefs - indeed he has no core. He is the epitome of the classic description of a narcissist - a tiny, insecure little man living inside a puffed up ballon. And that big ballon is devoid of any ideas, any stirrings of compassion, any aspirations - it is nothing but hot air infused with hate to puff himself up - to no avail. But what a terrible price we pay as a Nation. We are being led by an infantile man/child who will stop at nothing to assuage his need for attention, power and accolades.
How can he be stopped when it is not even clear to me that the 2020 election is safe from attempts to manipulate the results.
If this great Republic falls it will not be because of Trump. He is only the manifestation of our collective and unacknowledged fear and hatred of those we perceive to be "other."
6
Mr. President, please don't lie. Those of us who watched your performance at Greenville know that you did not try to stop the crowd when it shouted, "Send her back." When they shouted repeatedly, you were looking around approvingly. You did it for 12 seconds, according to my count.
If you had tried to stop the crowd's shouting, where is the need for your Republican colleagues to make the efforts now to distance from it? In fact, the crowd’s “send her back” shout was as heartwarming to you as the “lock her up” shout you heard at your 2016 campaign rallies, whenever you mentioned Hillary Clinton.
Your racist tweet on Sunday had already stirred a furor around the country. You hit a new low when, through that tweet, you asked four Democratic congresswomen who, according to you, “originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe” to “go back” and “help fix” them. That racist tweet has earned you the dubious distinction of being the second president in the history of this country to be censured by the House of Representatives.
A few moments fact-checking would have revealed to you that three of the four women you insulted were born and brought up in this country, as you were. The fourth one is a naturalized U.S. citizen as your grandfather was.
You may gloat that many people agree with what you said in your racist tweets. The only consolation for us is that there are a few in your inner circle, including your own daughter, who don't.
7
This is just one more lie to add to Trump’s long list of lies. He relished the chant as evidenced by his body language and the look on his face. He is mean, likes to be mean, and likes others to be mean on his behalf. What is meaner and uglier than watching a crowd of one's own supporters demean a woman of color and saying nothing to stop it? Is this a turning point or is it a sure sign that we are a nation of racists and xenophobes? We have a choice to make.
1
I have already contributed to the Democratic parties in Kentucky and South Carolina.
Do it early and often so mitch and lindsay become regular fox news “political analysts “ for their next gig. That is if fox even wants ‘em.
Vote 2020
8
So tired of GOP reps saying that Trump's racist language has "no place" in our country, or "no place in our party." This is the lamest, weakest admonishment possible. And it's not even the truth. No place? Really? It's obvious to everyone that the Republican party has devolved into THE place -- the safe haven -- for overt racism and racist language.
4
Typical fake news
The president was that a campaign rally extolling his many victories and wins and talking about future plans and all the mainstream media could concentrate on what's the few seconds of chants from the audience Giive it up ,if this is all you can come up with Trump will win by a landslide in 2020 based upon a booming economy strong military Border Protection and a host of other issues that actually matter to working Americans
1
Extolling his many victories? Seriously? And then the poor man was picked upon my the bad, bad media? Unbelievable.......
I wish Trump would go back to the place he came from - under a rock!
2
I know a little girl who was told by a classmate “Well, I guess you’ll be going back to Africa now.” It was the day after the 2016 election. She was 8. The racism of Trump and his supporters is nothing new.
5
And they say we sow hatred. What are people afraid of? We are all of god.
GOP leaders 'fret?' They FRET over Trump's racist tirade? That was not a moment for fretting; it was a moment for denouncing Trump's racist rant.
4
@farhorizons but then they would have to be seen and heard out loud, and that might spoil their chances for their own political gain.
3
What a loser Trump is. His base rises up to his demagoguery, meets and supports his efforts to purify America, by chanting, by roaring, “send her back.” And then, like the coward he is, a few people criticize him and he’s babbling about how he didn’t like the chant. As if, alls well, just need to tone down the racism.
Democrats need to run against Trump.
1
@Stephen V rises UP to demagoguery ?
2
We need to keep Omar and the other three of the squad in the news. The squad will show the American voters what they will get if they elect Democrats in 2020. Why send someone back who is helping President Trump and the other Republicans win elections in 2020. Omar and the squad are a gift that keeps on giving to the GOP.
3
@Jonathan Right. Scare the heck out of people. That'll show 'em what can happen in a democracy. "Now maybe you'll understand why you're better off with MY kind of people."
2
This wrong, and it must stop; to distort the statements of a citizen, a member of the United States House of Representatives (andTrump did most certainly lies about Omar’s meaning in context), then whip a crowd into a state of hatred and vilification of this young woman, manifested in the chant, is beyond the pale of what is acceptable in a democracy such as ours. This is frightening, and these techniques, lies and incitement, could potentially be used against anyone.
19
We need to keep Omar and the other three of the squad in the news. The squad will show the American voters what they will get if they elect Democrats in 2020. Why send someone back who is helping President Trump and the other Republicans win elections in 2020. Omar and the squad are a gift that keeps on giving to the GOP.
4
@Jonathan
You mean what remains of the GOP.
4
@Jonathan huh?
Many of us have felt that Trump can’t go any lower and he always proves us wrong. Many immigrants groups have been cast as the “other” and been the object of ugly prejudice. Racism and Nativism are not new strains in American life. But no President has ever been as blatant in their prejudices as Trump except Andrew Jackson (whom Trump admires). I admire the courage of the young legislators in the “Squad.” I don’t think it’s a coincidences that “Send her back” sounds a lot like “Lock her up.” Sadly, I fear that the Democrats are going to blow their chance at defeating Trump — in part, by allowing themselves to be totally identified with the Squad. That is exactly what Trump wants.
6
“A house divided against itself, cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South”...Abraham Lincoln.
No matter the issue, what is different in the year 2019 between all Americans and between the 7.7 billion humans on earth???
2
@manoflamancha oh. and now back to this story.
Did I miss the disavowal? What I heard was, “I didn’t like it”. Subliminal thought revealed , “I loved it”.
5
@Maureen Didn't you see him wink when he said it?
They had their chance to do more than "fret" about it ... and did less than nothing, they encouraged him to keep doing it.
5
I am not sure whether Trump was soaking in the chant feeling affirmed and all powerful or he was seriously annoyed that it interfered with him talking.
2
Oh, I am very sure! I hope you are not still believing his lies!
Doesn't Trump have plants in the rally who start this stuff up?
It looks very organized to me.
7
He will next claim that if you play his remarks backward, he actually said "I buried Paul."
9
45 was luxuriating in the chant, like a warm bath in the mother’s milk of hatred. I’m old enough to remember seeing this live on tv.
5
Ok, for the sake of argument, let him 'disavow'. There's no better way to disavow than to refuse to hold further such rallies.
2
Video of Trump's speech underscores the intense racism of his followers. When he named each member of "the Squad"--and emphasized the last names--enthusiastic boos followed each of them, except for Ayanna Pressley. There was a confused pause, as the mob tried to decide if they were supposed to boo for someone named Pressley. It sounded so white, so...Elvis. They decided not to boo, just in case. Yup, they are racist. No doubt about it.
15
Excellent point, Barbara. I noticed the same thing. The lack of intelligence would be funny if they weren’t voters.
2
“Not happy”- really? You stood back and watched with the cat away the Canary look on his face that she can barely suppress a smile. As usual with this lying wuss, He said he tried to stop the chance but is anyone who can see who watches the video, he did nothing of the sort.
3
NYT - "an assertion clearly contradicted by video of the event." Really? "an assertion" ? How about: "Video of Mr. Trump's silence druing the chant proves that he's lying."
6
Ah so! The GOP was distinctly VEXED--or should I say DISCONCERTED?--or ANNOYED?--no no, I've got this!--they were unmistakably RUFFLED--
--by the feral mob that screamed for the deportation of four U.S. congresswomen. Duly elected. In good standing. Nothing against them--nothing whatsoever. They have never been investigated at length by the FBI. No one (except this feral mob) is calling for their impeachment. Their tax returns are not a subject of public controversy. They have never been accused of raping anyone.
Meaning nothing personal, Mr. President. Please understand this. Nothing at all.
And I have no doubt, sir, you were yourself distinctly RUFFLED--or DISCONCERTED--or VEXED to hear those shrill screams of "Send them back! Send them back!"
Who believes this?
He sat back--or stood back--like a cat contemplating a bowl of cream. Lapped it up. "Oh yum! Yum yum!"
Well, sir. Bon appetit!
As for the GOP.
I'm sorry, New York Times. I think the GOP incapable of doing or saying ANYTHING that would not rouse in me unconquerable contempt and revulsion.
They suspect well over the half the nation may turn away from them--as I did long ago--with that same contempt and revulsion.
"Who are these crooks? These despicable toadies?
"Get 'em out of here! Get 'em out of my life! Let us all--at long last--
"be DONE with them! Adios, amigos!
"Adios!"
And God grant they're right! I surely hope so.
Next year--
--we'll see.
3
Can the man get any uglier than prompting his "fans" to chant a clearly racist trope?
Ocasio-Cortez suggested to a reporter that this kind of incendiary rhetoric creates a dangerous social environment for anyone closely resembling the four congresswomen, and that Trump should be held responsible if anything bad happens.
The president's fan base is not universally stable, as evidenced by the actions of the Charlottesville pro-white man rally that led one of the pro-white, pro-Trump activists to drive a car into a crowd of protesters.
Trump is a demagogue; he is playing with fire; and he doesn't regret the chant..."it was quite a chant..." he observed.
As others have observed...he is not acting like a president for everyone but only as a president for his "base." He is a stain on the presidency; open an impeachment inquiry for there are grounds to add an Article that reads..."incited his fans to hate duly elected officials."
6
I remember the Love it or Leave bumper stickers prevalent in the Vietnam era. Liberal Students were spitting on GI's when they came back. Some had lost limbs, eyes and comrades. Jane Fonda was having tea in Hanoi while our men died. She has never apologized that Im aware of. When I hear the Squad accusing Americans including the Speaker of their own party as racists and one of them of Somalian dissent discounting the pure evil by "some people who did something" on 9-11 and then giving tactit approval to Al Queda it makes me wonder where the outrage from the Left is about that?
2
@JS The outrage? About "that"? Way back in the last century !
I'm sure it's been noticed 3000 times already? How can anyone with a pulse being televised around the world ... well, just lie, and say he didn't. Oh, right, your favorite president.
Woe is we.
4
Each day the NYT should headline the most egregious of Trump's lies from the day before.
Trump Lie #5,234: I tried to stop the rally chant.
Fact: Mr. Trump paused and looked around silently for more than 10 seconds as the scene unfolded in front of him, doing nothing to halt the chorus.
5
"All the news that's fit to print."
Come on NYT, start using the word "lie" more often when Trump and his enablers actually lie, which they have done thousands of times. Stop with the euphemisms and get real.
In fact, every time they lie or say something questionable, you should start your story by noting that "Trump and/or his minions have lied so much it makes it hard to accept anything they say." Then do the story.
If you allow his lies without calling him out forcefully, you are also an enabler and not serious journalists.
3
So now we know. Make America Great Again means inciting a second civil war. Putin is thrilled.
5
Bingo! Can you imagine the laughter and satisfaction in the Kremlin now?
Revenge.... so sweet....
1
The Squad questions authority, which is as American as apple pie. Eternal shame on Trump and his deplorable acolytes for trying to suppress dissent and oversight of his fraudulent regime.
5
"I felt a little bit badly about it"? Really? How can the NYT or anyone else in their right minds see that as a statement that disavows the chant from the crowd that he pumped up? A "little bit"? So is POTUS saying he is only a little bit racist? The headline should have been "Trump tries to side step calling out racist chant".
3
‘Gaslighting’ is the most effective tool in the 45th’s arsenal. And using minority Congresswomen as prime fodder esp. Rep. Omar is his shining moment.
No disavowing that. Ever.
5
I wish Canada would give amnesty to all the non white us citizens. I’d be the first to leave.
8
Uh uh. You’re not leaving me here with these creeps. I’m going, too.
3
Really? Is Trump going to continuously keep himself in the news through another election by stoking our sense of outrage than incurring fury by walking it back? He has done this every week for 3 years. Isn’t this kind of exhausting by now?
19
@Julie If you quit taking the bait he would quit doing it. The media and the far left fringe has helped Donald more than Donald
2
That they want to repudiate the chants because of fears that the image could hurt their party, not because it is the right thing to do, tells you all you need to know about the modern Republican party.
30
He's got to go. GOP is letting him run this horror show and he will take them down. As for the mob that follows him, that will be a long term project that will need love and attention.
10
I don't like Omar.
I don't like Omar's policies.
I don't like Omar's words.
I don't like Omar's intentions.
I don't like Omar's political behavior.
I think Omar is bad for America.
I hope her district will elect another representative.
9
And yet you fail to identify a single word, policy or behaviour of Ms Omar that you find objectionable. One might easily conclude that it is simply her race or religion, both constitutionally protected, that you dislike.
10
I don’t agree with you but at least you’re not telling her to leave the country.
3
@99percent
...and if the President had said exactly this, there'd have been no story, and he'd have gotten no attention. Which he can't stand.
4
Putin is loving this.
15
Just like D. Trump has his base so does Omar. Her base will support her no matter what. Most of the time we are influenced by the society we live in, her opinions mirror her constituents and probably her family’s as well.
Read the NYT companion article, entitled:
"Here’s what Mr. Trump has claimed about Ms. Omar, and what we know."
In this article, the NYT debunks, statement by statement, the grossly racist, xenophobic lies that Donald Trump told his North Carolina mob on Monday night.
Donald Trump is an expert gaslighter. His technique:
1. He tells blatant lies with a straight face. Once he tells us one of his whoppers, he stick to it and has it amplified by accomplices like Fox News and congressmen Kevin McCarthy and Lindsey Graham.
2. He denies he said something, even though we have video proof. This is to make us doubt our reality. The more he lies & denies, the more we question our reality & start accepting his. Thus he says he tried to stop the chant "send her back", although the tape shows him basking in it for 13 seconds.
3. He appeals to our fears. He thrives on attacking Americans by race, by religion, by ethnicity, by sex and sexual persuasion. Donald Trump attacks the foundation of our being.
14
You guys don't get it. You're still talking about the Squad front and centre. That's precisely what Trump wants, so that average voters identify them with the core of the Democratic Party and thereby ensure Trump's reelection. Stop playing Trump's game!
15
@Richard M.
So the squad is the core of the Democratic Party--why not show the voters who the Democrats really are. The Democrats have already lost the 2020 election--the first debate showed the public what the Democrats believe.
1
How can the headline possibly be Trump disavowed chant. Yes he somewhat said those words but the evidence visible to all is that he liked the chant. Please stop allowing his lies to feature in headlines. His actions often speak louder than his words.
14
I wrote the same thing. Headline should read: Trump lies again.....
2
This headline gives credence to Trump’s disingenuous repudiation of the “send her back” chants that he started by using that language in his tweets. It is misleading.
10
Trump is successfully gaslighting us on issues like this while he dismantles the Republic and its checks and balances. He is running a government outside those controls by populating incredibly important positions with "acting" staff or his family, not approved and not beholden to the people or Constitution so much as they are to Trump. That looks very much like 1930s Germany.
The Omar/Squad topic should be a non-issue, and while reprehensible, masks the greater danger perpetuated by failing to deal with his rather alarming support among a populace that seems to be much more xenophobic than we knew. And who may very well have legitimate complaints that continue unaddressed. Having dozens of Democratic nominee wannabes, and a Republican Party that appears to have abandoned the best interests of a moral nation...those are the issues. The Herd of Dem Candidates continue to blather on about healthcare. I have a kid with leukemia; I get it. But it’s not the largest issue we face. Preservation of the Republic is
As to Omar, I think she and Trump are equally problematic, perpetuating the gaslighting in their own interests. Frankly with her "some people did some things" comment, Omar did in fact put 9/11 into the same category as someone who may have smashed your mailbox in the night. None of this is OK, and none of it is acting to conserve the Republic. Our Democracy is not working; Omar and the chants are just a symptom.
11
Wholeheartedly agree
3
@Chuck Tulloh I understand the anger at congresswoman Omar’s comments about 9/11. From what middle -eastern country did most of the highjackers come?
@Chuck Tulloh
To put the comment into context, she certainly could have worded it better, but she was trying to say that demonising all Muslims was wrong.
Omar argued that even a “good Muslim” may find roadblocks in the United States — and that that was the moment to stand up for one’s rights. “Once you are willing to stand up for yourself … then others will show up for you,” she said. She ticked off several examples, such as a Muslim being unable to find a place to pray in a hospital, even in “a country that was founded on religious liberty.”
“To me, I say, raise hell,” she said. “Make people uncomfortable.”
At this point, she uttered the words that raised controversy. We highlighted the passage in boldface.
“Here’s the truth. For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I’m tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. So you can’t just say that today someone is looking at me strange and that I am trying to make myself look pleasant. You have to say that this person is looking at me strange, I am not comfortable with it, and I am going to talk to them and ask them why. Because that is the right you have.”
Headline should be: “Trump did not try to stop the chant, ‘Send her back!’, as he claims.” Video confirms this as fact.
Media must stop enabling Trump with their comments such as “We will have to see if his strategy of attacking the four congresswomen will work.” Racism is just plain wrong. Call Trump’s racism out instead of giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Only the media can now save our democracy! McConnell has more power than any other American other than the occupant of the White House. He has stopped all reasonable legislation proposed by Democrats for ten years now. McConnell won’t save our democracy, no other ELECTED Republican has the integrity to try to save our democracy other than former Republican Justin Amash, and Democrats have been squashed at every attempt to save our democracy. Please, media, save our democracy! Stop showing Trump’s face entirely and only report his words when they are truthful and substantive which seems to be rarely.
10
Meanwhile Trump rally attendees will claim it was all in the name of fun like cheering for the heel in professional wrestling.
4
Trump has it both ways and wins both ways. He whips up the crowd to produce this chant, accepts it for a span of time without disapproval, looks approvingly over the crowd, knows that even the fake news organizations he despises it will pick it up and give it wall-to-wall 24/7 coverage for the next two days, and then claims that he was not happy to hear it. And he can count on the full complicity of MSNBC, as they express their outrage, to give this even maximum exposure, because it is good for ratings.
6
Disavowal delayed is disavowal denied. He repeatedly stands and listens to (basks in?) racist, misogynistic chants, never once disapproving of them in the moment or encouraging his base to rise above their baseness. He doesn't have the strength character to do so. Weakly "disapproving" of such conduct days later counts for nothing.
4
It can't be taken back. This cannot be undone by a disingenuous disavowal. This is who the Republican party is now, every single one of them who did not come out immediately and repudiate the tweets and the chant. They cannot, and will not be allowed, to run away from it.
7
I think to ascribe racism to those chanting "send her back", assumes they are motivated by some carefully thought out analysis that led them to the chant. I suspect that is giving them too much credit. True racists have, rightly or wrongly, arrived at their racist ideology through some analysis, flawed, but SOME analysis. It is obvious that a white American who tells other Americans to "go back where they came from", is not taking that position as a result of any serious thought or reflection.
They've arrived at that position as a result of a complete lack of knowledge of the history of the country that somehow they claim as their own. We should be careful not to confuse stupidity and ignorance with racism. Racists, one can perhaps debate. Ignorance and stupidity are a harder nuts to crack.
4
I have heard the contemporary racist’s convoluted rationales for their disease. But it is still a disease of ignorance and stupidity even if it’s wrapped up in a bunch of polysyllabic Alt right rhetoric. It still comes down to the same thing: unfounded hatred of the other. Period
3
My family first arrived in here in the early 1600s. On this scale, Trump--descended from an 1885 immigrant--is just off the boat.
Send him back, for sure.
10
There's an old saying that I remember from my youth (I'm 79), "Hold on to your Confederate money, the South will rise again." That's what has been happening since the Nixon-Atwater Southern strategy that has now burst into the open with the full-throated racism of Donald Trump, his "willing enablers" and accomplices in the Republican Party who are mostly from states of the Old Confederacy, and his all white base in the South. Let's hope that this turns out to be a "Bull Conner" moment that rallies Americans to reject race hate and support the ideal of equality and freedom for all not the few. Tweets are flying, and sadly some people (12 at our Southern border; 11 in a Pittsburgh synagogue) are dying, and others like Rep. Ilhan Omar and her three female colleagues of color called "the squad"now have to worry about their own personal safety. And now Donald Trump is denying, but everyone knows he is lying. This is hi-tech political warfare, but there have been real casualties and our very Constitution, it's "rule of law," may be among them if someone is not willing to come forward, as Lincoln did, and lead us out of the darkness of hate and white racial superiority.
5
But "Lock her up!" was OK?
Fear not – if Trump stifles this one his goon squads will soon have another chant, equally hateful and divisive.
9
I find the Democrats just as despicable as the Republicans in this case. "Passing a resolution condemning his tweets." At first I thought it was a joke! Over and over they react the same way, letting Trump lead them down a path of reaction, not action. Impeachment is just as ridiculous. Then we'd have Pence, just as bad, but with a brain. Why not just ignore him, laugh at him, and take care of the business of running the government. Trump is taking up all the oxygen.
7
Wait, you just lost me with the Pence has a brain thing...
1
We don’t laugh at him because it’s not funny. Racism is cruel. They said the same in nazi Germany. The democrats will not sit back and laugh. Did you notice how quickly he threw his own chanters under the bus when he was criticized? I think that’s funny. He laughs at his supporters all the time. Do you think he’d be caught dead around any of you except at rallies so he can bask in your adoration like some Roman god?
1
@Tamara Eric " Trump is taking up all the oxygen." So do we just hold our collective breath for another couple of years and let the hate go on and on?
No matter what else he ever does, Trump will always be the president who shamed the US by calling Neo-Nazis "fine people," by putting small children in cages, and by making racism his primary message.
12
Send both Trump and her back! I don’t care for either one of them.
3
America needs to disavow Trump and apoligize to the world.
8
About 77% of adults in North Carolina identify themselves as Christians. When they go to to church this weekend, I suggest they really think about this vile behavior they displayed at this rally. It is anything but Christian, regardless of political affiliation.
11
Please, spare me the “crischens” and Evangelicals. Pure hypocrisy.
1
@ElleJ So only you may speak ?
Rep. Omar is right. Trump is a fascist. Time to stop pussyfooting around that by dubbing him a "populist", which is absurd. What else would you call a demagogue who wants to make America a white, Christian nation, armed to the teeth, wherein opponents and the press are Enemies of the People, while only followers are "real Americans"?
6
"Mr. Trump said he was “not happy” with the chant directed at Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota"
The word was "Ecstatic". The "morning after", after getting harped at by the old guard and his handlers, he tried to change the color of the event as a face-saver.
His lies hide nothing, he is a racist who gives voice to other racists in their party.
4
It's obvious there's some sort of dysfunction with Trump's entire being in that he flatout lies to your face and apparently thinks it's okay to do so. What's equally troubling is his supporters. Shame on each and every one of them.
4
Trump doesn't even have his supporters' backs. As soon as he got private push back from his family and a number of Republican politicians, he threw his supporters under the bus. The chant was their fault not his. Of course its their fault, nothing is ever Trump's fault. His supporters might want to think about that.
265
@Bruce S the prime directive in Trump world is that nothing is ever Donald's fault. He is way too insecure and self-defensive to be president. His staff exist mainly to praise him and be ready to take the blame if he makes one of his many dumb mistakes. The buck never stops in the Oval Office anymore.
16
I'm afraid they don’t give a whole lot of time to thinking.
16
@Bruce S
This is another example of the cancer that is narcissism, which includes all the other isms, including racism.
The narcissist can never be wrong, so it falls to others, the loyal followers, to take the hit. Sometimes you have to engage with a narcissist and there are competent narcissists who are so concerned about looking good that they do the right thing and you benefit.
But why anyone would want to support this man, who clearly loves no one and is incompetent at best, is beyond me. -- thegamesmenplay.com
7
Once again, here's the script of this show:
President Trump says the wrong thing and the fallout is amazing. Then senior Republican leaders take him behind the woodshed to tell him that what he said, is upsetting to the Republican electorate. He crosses the line of decency, and those Republicans come to the White House for a little chat.
What always happens next?
Trump makes a big public spectacle trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube, saying he "didn't really say or mean what people think I said."
What we saw... didn't really happen.
In all the cases (ALL of them), there is video evidence to the contrary.
As an African-American, I experienced the "go back to where you came from" yelling from white boys back in the 50's and 60's. I was young and the only thing I could think was... "I was born in Cleveland--why the heck would I want to go back there?"
The Republicans' "under the table" racism is disgusting. They are guilty by association, whether in Congress or Trump's base. The rhetoric is polarizing the country and distracting to what government should be doing for its people. In-fighting in Congress also gives our world opponents the chance to see us at our weakest.
I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans, but it seems to me if the Democrats stay united behind a good candidate, there is way enough ammunition to limit this president to one term, the most tumultuous presidential four years since the Civil War.
What will Trump tweet next?
27
Why is this waiting?
I suppose it doesn't matter to you that Trump has expressly distanced himself from the chant of send-her-back.
You also willfully misrepresent what he actually said a few days ago which was a clumsy version of "love it, or leave it." He made a great point. If America is the brutal racist dystopia that you portray, then why do so many people with black, brown and white skin want more than anything else to be part of it?
The answer is obvious -- it is flatly untrue that America is racist and sexist. But is a great way to win elections. As Mark Lilla has pointed out in these columns, if you see that white Americans will soon be in a minority, then one way of winning elections is by turning race against race for your own electoral profit. The Big Lie that white America is racist and the implacable enemy of the emerging majority is part of that strategy.
For much longer than Trump has been president, the Times has done what it says he is doing -- dividing Americans along color lines. You are doing this by devoting much of your newspaper to stories that any disparity -- between black and white, men and women -- can only be explained by racism or sexism.
The rage you have nurtured and the pain your lies have caused are all too real. I wonder if we can ever undo the damage you have done.
3
Did you think think this when Trump and Republican cans spent 8 years complaining about Obama? Do you realize that Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” means he doesn’t like America as it is? Should he go back to Scotland? Or is it different because he’s white? And just FYI, America is both racist and sexist but I had no idea how much was lurking beneath the surface until Trump took office. Just something to think about.
5
I’d try and explain what Trump actually said or the actual position of guys like me on the nature of American ideology, but don’t think I have enough breadcrumbs to scatter so that you can find your way back to the planet.
2
First, he is now trying to distance himself from the chant because of the backlash. But if you think he's being genuine, I believe you are willfully blind. He did not try to stop the chant [waited 13 seconds to speak], and he did encourage it with his tweets and racist rhetoric. And, yes, telling people of color to go back to the filthy countries from which they come [3 being US-born] is racist.
Second, the US absolutely has deep racist and sexist elements. trump and his base are the most visible signs of it. The reason why women and people of color "don't leave" is two-fold: 1) they want to try to change it for the better and 2) not every single person in the US is racist and sexist. As I hear endlessly from trump supporters about asylum seekers and border crossers- stay home and fix your own country. Well, women and people of color are staying and trying to fix what's broken in the US.
Third and last, no one holds a candle to the lies trump tells and division he sows. And, hopefully, we will be able to undo the rage, lies, pain and damage that trump has inflicted on our already-great, although not perfect, country.
5
Trumpism is ethic NIMBYism.
Dear Trump supporters,
Are you of Irish heritage? If so, your ancestors were considered "not white". Are you of Italian heritage? Same thing. And your ancestors were likely With Out Papers. Are you of Jewish heritage? (I am.) If so, your ancestors were even more despised. They are only accepted today because the evangelical right has an obsession with Jerusalem, and they aligned themselves with the likes of Sheldon Adelson.
Now you want to close the doors to certain "others" who want to become Americans, because they aren't like "us". If you do not see the hypocrisy in this sentiment, then I can't help you.
NIMBY = "Not In My Back Yard". It is the person who buys a house at the end of the culdesac, and then opposes any future development. "I got mine. Now I'm pulling up the rope ladder."
My direct ancestor on one side of my family, Thomas Stone of Maryland, signed the Declaration of Independence. My wife is one quarter Cherokee. Her ancestors have been in this country longer than mine. That does not make either of us more American than any new citizen, including the members of the "squad".
The United States was founded upon a common philosophy, as embodied in the Constitution, rather than a common ethnic or religious heritage. Khzir Khan said it well in 2016.
19
"ethnic NIMBYism" -- sorry for the typo.
1
This entire scenario is typical of Trump's modus operandi, isn’t it?
He played to the basest instincts of his admirers, slowly stirring them together, stirring and adding the requisite mixture of ire and insults necessary to coalesce the individuals into homogeneous group, and then whipped them up into a hateful mob, chanting his words in a hate-filled "screed" of "Send her back! Send her back! Send her back!"
He stood, shamelessly looking over his adoring crowd, nodding his head and listening to their chants without a shred of dismay or concern over what he had created—an ardent, imploring, chanting horde, eagerly endeavoring to please him, and seeing no sign from him that their behavior was disappointing him.
But later, when confronted by a media troubled by the crowd's furor and concerned about its long-term implications or Republican politicians fearful of its political repercussions—what does he do? He denies riling them up and encouraging their outcry. He falsely claimed to have tried to dissuade them from their chant, showing not one bit of remorse for what he or his supporters did.*
His supporters were shown the same love and loyalty he showed to Manafort, Cohen, and Stone.
*Later he collected thirty silver coins from McConnell and continued on as though he were not at all complicit in anything.
10
@GeritheGreek " typical of Trump's modus operandi" He doesn't have a valid modus...just an operandi that keeps on smirking and spouting .
President Trump "not happy" [wink wink nudge nudge].
3
Hmmm, I counted approx 7 chants between his sentences....
3
More lies from him asking us to disbelieve what we saw and believe his fiction. His cult accepts all of this. How long must we endure this malevolent, debased person as our president? What will it take for enough people to exert enough pressure to expel him from our lives?
The parallels to the mid-30's Hitler rallies is clear for all to see. His appeal to the basest, most inhumane aspects of character continues to corrode the ideals of America. He is a terminal illness.
17
POTUS was standing there looking for all the world like Mussolini, literally drinking in and relishing the rising chorus of hate. That's what we all saw, full stop.
28
It's time for everyone who can vote to vote this racist and misogynist man in the Oval Office and his Republican staff and enablers in Congress out of office. He is cultivating the ugliest among us.
16
Another example of Trump lying about something where we can all see the truth on a video, another example of why Trump is a pathological liar who will say anything in an attempt to excuse away his disgusting behavior.
11
Go back to where you came from?
I’m sorry, did you forget this nations constitution was created by white “immigrants”. This land originally belonged to indigenous people. If white people want to chant go back where you came from, that would include them too.
14
@Jamie Mendez If "WE" all go back to where we came from, my friends in the Iroquois Nation will be greatly relieved.
1
The president and the GOP own this. Especially, the Republicans who came out and supported him on the floor of Congress and in the media. Great Democrat election videos available for the 2020 election.
9
I see the political coverage of the Times will be the same as it was in 2016: very pro-Trump:
Mr. Trump’s inner circle immediately appreciated the gravity of the rally scene and quickly urged him to repudiate the chant.
His "inner circle" includes people like Stephen Miller and Daniel Scavino. Both men have a history of mocking immigrants and using immigration as a way to mislead the public about asylum rights, immigration rights, etc.
6
@teo "I see the political coverage of the Times will be the same as it was in 2016: very pro-Trump" Are you sure you're really looking and not just assuming?
I'm so embarrassed on behalf of the President and millions of Republicans for their deplorable behavior and support thereof, as they're utterly incapable of doing so for themselves.
Just doing my patriotic duty.
7
This incident is not trivial. It is serious and dangerous, part of an escalating pattern.
Trump knows exactly what he is doing, right out of the fascist leader’s playbook. Whip up bigotry with lies, insults and conspiracy theories, demonize “others” as scapegoats for your followers’ problems, incite violence, deny all of it and accuse your opposition of doing what you are actually doing.
Our own little Hitler or Mussolini, right here in America.
It is up to all of us to stop this at the ballot box, while we still can.
18
@David Let's hope there really is a ballot box next year.
1
What happened to the Trump who never backs down?
1
Why do Republicans refuse to repudiate Trump? After he tweeted Omar should "go back to where she came from" Trump's favorability among Republicans rose 5 percentage points to 72%. Simply put, Republicans like labelling criticism of squalor in border detention camps as anti-American, and they applaud anti-Muslim animus.
13
Everyone should show solidarity with "The Squad", regardless of whether we voted for them or agree with them. We should do what we can to show solidarity for four American citizens exercising their free speech rights, four elected members of Congress doing their Constitutional duty to identify what, in their opinion, needs improving. These are not partisan ideas, these are as American as the Statue of Liberty.
We can write letters, sign petitions, speak up.
4
I do not think what Pelosi said to AOC was racist.
I do not think what Trump tweeted was racist.
I do not think the crowd chanting, "Send her back" is racist.
There is too much faux racial sensitivity out there, feigned by people using racism as a tool to manipulate the media.
5
@99percent Really? Where do you think "back" is ? I've never heard him talk that way about SWEDISH Americans.
Americans are purposely being confused and lied to about what is racist and what is not. The “send her back” issue is a perfect example. If I am in a debate with a person of any ethnicity about their discontents with America or with their state or with their city or with their home, it is NOT unreasonable to say “if you don’t like it, go somewhere else. Go back to where you came from or any place else you think is better. That is NOT racist regardless of the ethnicity of the person to whom it is spoken.
On the other hand, it is DEFINITELY RACIST to tell someone who you don’t know and with whom you have had no discussion about anything to “go back to where they came from” based solely on their race or any other demographic. The phrase “go back to where you came from” has a history of being used in this second, racist way, where people were told this solely on the basis of the way they looked.
People should be smart enough to know the difference between these two things. The Democrats , much of the media, and many others are purposely confusing, misleading and obfuscating on this matter. Perhaps they are inattentive, lazy, or lack the critical thinking to make such differentiations. Purposely conflating circumstances in order to apply the racism label Willy Nilly has serious detrimental effects upon the issue of race.
3
@Pops Personally, I would rather someone, not say, if you don't like it, leave. It is rude, does not engage, or sympathise, or empathise, or even listen. You can say, I do not agree with you.
1
@Pops Or "perhaps they" have a point and attention should be paid.
"If people want to leave our country, they can. If they don’t want to love our country, IF THEY DON'T WANT TO FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY, they can. I’ll never change on that.”
- Donald Trump, serial draft dodger.
13
Telling people of color to go back to their country is clearly racist. There seems to be a general consensus. But I also want to point out subtle racism that belies the question, "where are you REALLY from?" posed by people of all political leanings. Of course, the person asking that question would not consider him/herself to be a racist but not accepting the answer because it doesn't identify the ethnicity of the individual one is questioning suggests either racism or implicit bias. Such a line of questioning suggests that you are not truly American unless you are white. For those who believe that's ridiculous, just think of the times you asked a white person where they were from. Did you stop questioning when they said they were from Chicago or did you ask, "but really, where are you from? Canada, England, Germany, etc?"
2
Repudiate? Clearly Trump reveled in that moment, hence the long swaggering pause he took. This is the same Trump that called for death for the NY5 and still refuses to acknowledge their innocence.
8
Trump is incapable of uttering the truth, his first and only inclination is to fabricate and lie.
He is absolutely undeterred when called out and just doubles down with more of the same.
4
We should promote MORE illegal immigration! We get the taxes deducted through their paychecks and don't have to pay them any benefits! Great deal for us, right?
1
@Tornadoxy
Free healthcare, free school - don't those count as benefits?
@99percent No. Like any other working family, they get to go to school. Like any other working family, who cannot access paid for healthcare, they can go to the ER. Nothing else.
2
Disavows....disavows nothing.
2
He flamed the fans of racism and reveled as the crowd chanted. If he wanted to disavow the ugliness, he could have done it right there and then at the meeting, just as McCain did once. His disavowal now? It's not sincere, it's a lie, it's a cynical ploy. We won't forget, and we don't forgive. Get rid of him in 2020 if not before then. He doesn't deserve the White House. He deserves the jail house.
6
And what gives them pause is not the hateful venality of the chants but the effect on their electability. That says it all about the party of Lincoln today that once fought against the slavery of some of our people so that they could be American citizens in a Union that would not tolerate otherwise.
2
Conservatives have blamed "others" for decades. They hid their bigotry with charming Reagan, patrician Bush, and "good ole boy" Bush with "dog whistles". Trump brazenly uses a megaphone to declare his smug cruelty and hatred toward people of color and women and conservatives applaud.
5
The charge that his tweets were racist “doesn’t concern me,” the president said, “because many people agree with me.” Yes, people like David Duke.
6
Instead of hearing the thousands of voices chanting "Send Her Back!" imagine hearing them chanting "Juden! Juden! Juden!"
or chanting a race, a gender or a sexual orientation.
That's frightening and chilling that a crowd gladly chants in unison against an American citizen - it's McCarthyism and silent or excuse-making Republicans are complicit.
It's especially chilling when European news is reporting on the alarming "racist developments in the US" citing trump's tweets and showing footage of trump's campaign rally.
Berlin is seeing 1940s. And I believe Berlin.
5
"Mr. Walker, who attended the rally on Wednesday night, later posted on Twitter that he had “struggled” with the chant. “We cannot be defined by this,” he said."
You and the Republican party can be defined by this.
You and the Republican party reap what you sow.
8
His twitter storm is still working with its secret embedded message. In story after story, the New York Times and other outlets repeat and remind everyone that ‘...except Omar who was a refugee not born in the Untied States.’ And they show a picture of her in a Muslim headscarf. It’s a constant reminder —and validation—to Trump’s base that our country is being ‘invaded’ by ‘browns’ and Muslim. Please stop repeating and reminding us she was not born here and showing a picture of her headscarf. You are just playing into his hands by disseminating his secrete meme. Now every time voters look at her picture, they will be reminded of the ‘type’ of refugees (immigrants) America needs to stop letting in: dangerous ones that are taking over our government.
1
Oh, and thanks Ivanka for your moral compass!
4
You lost me at "GOP Frets..."
6
Trump disavows chant and claims to have tried to discourage it. Not sure which is worse, his racism or his utter and complete dishonesty.
What is undoubtedly worst though, is the apparent ability of each and every one of his supporters to swallow both whole.
5
He owns it.
4
GOP Frets? That’s what I do when I’m running late to work not when my country is in terrible trouble.
8
Don't "lock her up" - "vote him out"!
5
Right. And we should believe this whopper because .... ?
Frankly, what and how this liar bloviates is of little interest to me anymore. I didn't vote for him, I do not acknowledge him as a legitimate president, and, frankly, he's tiresome. Same old, same old, no surprises, just louder.
My concern is having to live on the same continent and to breathe the same air as the despicable people braying their support for him. And no, it's not limited to a certain segment of North Carolinians. If the next Civil War is really underway, I fear that the lack of obvious borders and boundaries is going to make living anywhere in the United States untenable. And that is my biggest concern.
Quo vadis?
2
there's some really good people on both sides...
1
Yeah, two weeks from now they'll probably be praising the same chants.
1
team trump, way too little, way too late
2
How can he disavow it when the video clips clearly show him luxuriating in the crowd's chant?
10
Never stopped him before. He is psychologically unable to tell the truth. His own defense attorney, Mr. Dowd, used that to keep him for testifying in front of Mueller.
1
I just bought my first Warren t-shirt--"Warren has a plan for that!" and wear it proudly.
Now I want an anti t-shirt. Will somebody please make us a t-shirt that reads: “I didn’t say that. They did.”
Below that could read: 'Never vote for a Weasel.'
2
No he doesn’t need to “pull back!” He needs to keep it right where it is.
I can see democratic voters itching to go and vote out this demagogue.
He wants to racialize the campaign, that’s great!!!
I pray he does!!!!
The biggest problem Dems have is the motivation to vote for their poor candidates. Plus, he’ll lose moderates!!!
So, I hope he continues beings a racist!!!!
He’s toast!! He can’t stop being a racist, and racism is losing him support!!
So he’s confused what to do!!!!!
No, you did say it and tweeted it and then did it again.Its your cheerleading that got the crazies shouting and yelling. You stood up in front and had that Dictator type dictator face, jutting Jaw, scowl and admired what you had done. it is there ,its obvious and you love it. Now you want to blame your supporters. They follow the leader.
I note you have criticized the country many times. such as :
Our roads and bridges are falling apart
Our education system fails to educate
The idea of American greatness is gone
We have a mess of a country
The world is laughing at us
Mothers and children trapped in poverty
Gangs are killing our people
There are lots of killers in the world and you think we (USA) is innocent?
I would say if criticism is a reason to go back to your country then back to Germany for Dear Leader.
3
Trump has turned Omar into a hero.
Except that she's an anti-Semite whom the Democratic Party has failed to shun.
So we have ugly Trump on one side and anti-Semitism on the other greeted as hero/victim.
Both parties stink.
3
And what about Omar's offensive comment about 9/11? Crickets.
3
"ugly phrase"? - How about "racists phrase"? I wish the editor's made more of an effort to be objective with their headlines and less of an effort to cater to racists who may become offended by calling them what they are. NYT is by far the most prestigious publication in the world but the headlines are dragging you down.
2
trump plays role as shyster and huckster, never as President. Hope Americans can see thru his shallow morality.
5
Perhaps the collective of all the Native Americans tribes should start their own chant:
Send them all back!
10
I do not understand why some think that is a racist comment?
2
I guess in Missouri, not much awareness about racism.
1
Trump now retreats back to his pain-cave, his White House Legion of Doom, where he orders up fried chicken and hamburgers, watches Fox News and contemplates his next tweet. he knows he needs to retreat, but wants to save face too, so ALL his time and energy will be spent mining the TV shows to find the right nerve to stoke his base. Meanwhile the world defends Omar, the focus on his foil, while his swamp monster invade the EPA, Labor, USDA , Defense, Education, you name it. The Trump game: Keep hiring lobbyist trolls to do oligarch's bidding (including his own), then distract with gonzo tweets. With the focus on the squad, it's not on how big business -- through Trumps absurd appointments to powerful positions -- has hijacked every department in the government. While he disavows, spins, gesticulates, rages...look what is happening behind the curtain.
19
this whole mess brings back memories of the 60's and the famous "America! Love it or Leave it!" bumper sticker. It was very effectively answered by the "America! Fix it or Forget it!" bumper sticker.
(The actual sticker used a verb other than "Forget", but I'm pretty sure the Times wouldn't print that one.)
3
"Make America Great Again"? America was great before Mr. Trump got to be President. Since he got the job, the greatness has been sliding downhill fast.
18
Add to that, his new slogan, “Keep America Great”. Who wants more of this current atmosphere? Even if you still like the GOP, surely you’d enjoy a little less division.
1
I suspect this article is more about what we would like to think than reality.
Trump likely has no desire to walk anything back. He has no fear that the vast majority of people will turn on him. And he’s probably right.
Doubt me?
Watch what happens over the next 12 months. There’s more - and even worse - to come.
6
I'm not sure why some of my comments here are being blocked but I live in a racially charged locale of the mid-west and I truly want to know what is so wrong with what he said. People commenting here seemed so outraged at this yet I hear much worse on a day to day basis. Someone please help me understand. What I heard was the President telling and anti-Semitic congresswoman if she doesn't like it here then she is free to leave, also if she can fix the problem in her country of origin then maybe we will listen to her ideals. Again, I don't see what all the fuss is about.
5
@RS And therein lies the problem, that you don't see what all the "fuss" is about.
5
That’s the whole problem.
3
@Duncan d please explain.
I just left the state of North Carolina because of it's deplorable slide into this kind of hatefull intolerance. The liberal and creative city that had attracted us just couldn't hold it's place within the contortions of Republican voter rigging. This just encourages the kind of mob mentality that can incite real violence and I want no part of it. Not one penny of tax will I spend in that state.
16
@Jo No worries Jo. I just flew out of Wilmington Wed after spending a week there dumping my money into that economy. The people there were some of the friendliest people I have ever met while on vacation.
1
People who chanted 'send her back' are also the same ones that do not trust science, have no empathy for fellow human beings, are extremely bitter about their own failures in life. Imagine being against science all the while benefitting from science in every part of their lives. May be these people should give up their electronics, healthcare, online shopping, hearing aids, surgical implants, any antibiotics and other medicines and live as if they are in the stone age? The two-faced duplicitousness of Trumpists boggles one's mind.
12
Let's all just agree to send Trump back in 2020 and end this shameful chapter of American history.
5
Am I exaggerating when I feel that if President Obama had done 1/17th of what has been done, said or accepted in the past 2 plus years by this president, he would have been impeached within a month?
19
@Yolanda
No exaggeration at all. I am totally convinced "they" would have been at the gates of the White House with torches, tar buckets, and Confederate flags. Mr. Obama was vilified for wearing a tan suit, just to give some small perspective here. That alone was enough to trigger the GOP attack squads.
5
We have been on a long, slippery slope of fear and xenophobia. The economic fear created by ever-more brazen Kleptocracy is being made exponentially worse by an irrational and hypocritical hatred of outsiders. What are Americans if not outsiders in our own land?
The national fears when I was a college freshman during the Reagan admin were nuclear war and AIDS. I am much more frightened now for what has happened to our national character. Will we ever recover from this time?
1
A fool is one who easily gets fooled—in our case, over and over. We wait for Mr. Trump to backpedal or disavow on a regular basis. And when he starts a fire then behaves as if he's not the arson (he never apologizes; he just lies), the media believe him and let the matter drop, eventually.
Donald Trump (really, how can we call him the president) is the one who initially said, "If you don't like this country go back to the one you came from." His supporters merely agreed and took up the chant in a kind of call and respond: "Send her back."
Trump is not the fool; we are, for even entertaining the possibility that he might regret having let the chant go on for a full 10 gloating seconds.
1
"I never said it"....Well, WASN'T THAT EASY?
7
Playing both sides! Sneaky!
2
Donald Trump is the epitome of a professional wrestling villain who takes sandpaper and rakes it across his opponent's eyes in full view of the crowd and then hides the sandpaper in his costume and holds his now empty hands up to the referee to proclaim his total innocence.
Donald Trump will do or say whatever he feels will serve him best at the moment, even if it is the exact opposite of what he did or said earlier the same day. Lying liar and the lies he tells.
5
We are about to reach critical mass in this country as Trump spews vitriol and his supporters cheer. His 2016 campaign was based on appealing to the racists, misogynists, and xenophobes in this country. Now just as with Frankenstein and his monster, it all is starting to edge toward a flash point. Trump has laid the kindling and his racist remarks hurled at Ms. Omar poured gasoline on it. Someone will strike a match, and there will be bloodshed in this country.
I am from Alabama and growing up I saw the horror of unbridled racism. There were cries and whispers of lynchings, beatings, and the terrorist act of cross burning. We are well on the road back to those times. Even if Trump is defeated in 2020, (please God), it will take years to repair the damage wrought by this racist President. The soul of this country has been corrupted. I hope it is not beyond redemption.
6
Donald Trump lies. Can we be clear about that please? When he reports he was "not happy" at the enthusiastic response of the rally mob to his racist "send her back" trope, we must understand that he was in fact delighted.
7
Isn’t this “hate speech” on a mass scale? How do we silence this?
3
The Archie Bunker presidency. Except it's not comedy. He aims tragedy at much of the world. Republican complicity will be historically established as the Quisling period in America’s 21st century.
2
So what I glean from this is that the GOP thinks it’s Totally OK for the President to say Things and enact policies designed to fire up racists. But if the fired up racists actually then act like fired up racists at his rally? Whoa, that’s a step too far.
2
Why don't my Texas Senators Cruz and Cornyn express their disgust with President Trump and his blatant racism?
I can only conclude that they agree with him, or they have concluded that they can get more votes next time around by remaining silent.
Shame on these two men.
9
Because Republicans have handed their dignity, honesty, integrity and basic humanity to repugnant and repulsive Trump. Ad long as voters keep sending Reoublicans to Congress, this will not change.
2
If you didn’t vote for Beto against Cruz, that’s what you get. If you did, I apologize.
3
Please just stop covering this man. He's a racist, a bigot, a serial assaulter of women, etc. etc. etc.
He's also incapable of not being the center of attention and the more we cover his antics--knowing full-well they're horrible--the more he enjoys it. If we stop paying attention to him, he'll stop having sway over people on the margins. He told us after the hate conference he had with the other Twitter trolls at the White House that he was disappointed that people didn't react to his comments on Twitter anymore. He told us he was going to do what he did because he wanted more attention.
Let's act like he's the child having a tantrum that he is and just ignore him.
Can we do that please? Please?
3
Another whopper from the Liar in Chief. If the specific words did not pass his lips, I can with certainty guarantee the thought went through his brain, and the look of satisfaction as he gloated while the crowd chanted spoke more volumes then any of his verbose rants ever could. I am disgusted at his coarseness and thorough lack of morality. "Make America grating."
1
Liars are not new.
Acceptance of them is another thing. By Trump's base, and by McConnell and the Republican leadership. This is for the history books, shame forever.
2
I have to applaud Ivanka for telling her dad to repudiate the "send her back" chant. After all, Ivanka's stepmom came to this country not as a refugee like Omar, but under questionable circumstances concerning a work visa.
Then Ivanka's stepmom engaged in chain migration to bring most of her family here, and she had an anchor baby.
All of these things are opposed by Trump and his cult.
Nor would we want to have people chant "send her back" as regards Senator Mitch's wife Elaine Chao, a wealthy immigrant from a very wealthy Chinese family, who according to NYT and other journalism has engaged in questionable practices related to using her government positions and connections to Mitch to benefit her family's business interests. The more than $1 million given to Senator Mitch by Chao's family in China of course hasn't influenced any legislation. Nor should we infer anything from the fact that a cargo ship owned by the Chao shipping empire (an empire that sometimes falls under regulatory purview of Chao's Department of Transportation) was found to have been carrying a big load of cocaine.
My gosh. If we were to start chanting "send her back" for reasons other than racism, Islamophobia, and sexism, we might hear chanting about sending Melania and Elaine back, right?
Thus, Ivanka opposes the chant.
Well played, Ivanka.
26
@Steve Davies
One quibble: no need to focus on Melania, look at Ivanka’s actual mother, Ivana Marie Trump, Senior, and her serial opportunistic marriages to move from Czechoslovakia to Austria to Canada to the US, where she became a citizen in 1988... pretending to be a member of an Olympic ski team that never existed... again a “model”... being in charge of the cheap and tacky interior design for Trump properties....
Also look at her lovely husband and in-laws.
Ivanka has been in a bubble of swamp gas her whole life.
Ivanka might have had a chance to learn humanity in college, but she wasn’t even able to mingle at Penn—she was literally chauffeured in a limousine from class to class.
2
Your points about Melania and Elaine Chao are valid, but let’s not kid ourselves. Ivanka gets on her dad about these things because she gets worried about her social standing. She probably cares very little about her father’s latest wife, and probably gives very little thought about Elaine Chao beyond admiring how she is making money and wanting to likewise do so.
2
Trump simply expresses in public what his followers say regularly in private. Therefore he validates their prejudices. “If he can say it in public” they say to themselves, “then it’s fine for me to think it and say it in private.”
11
@Leo Gold He has now given them the permission to say it in public with no shame.
The picture of Representative Ilhan Omar at her Twin City airport, surrounded by her supporters.. she reminded me of this brave woman who also wrapped in cloth, stands strong as a beacon for all.
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
10
@Pete There were only about 20 people there at the airport. Trump's words, howevere, ARE hateful. But, Omar is hateful too. She supports BDS which is a hate organization. From Omar Barghouti Founder of BDS: "Definitely, most definitely we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No Palestinian, rational Palestinian, not a sell-out Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
And this: “The real aim of BDS is to bring down the state of Israel….That should be stated as an unambiguous goal. There should not be any equivocation on the subject. Justice and freedom for the Palestinians are incompatible with the existence of the state of Israel.” –As’ad AbuKhalil
1
I recall when Trump got elected over 2 years ago ( seems like a decade), the pundits were trying to make excuses for why people voted for him and trying to downplay the fact that Trump voters were necessarily racist.
I never bought it and always thought that the majority of Trump voters were indeed racist.
How could anyone vote for Trump and not be a racist or think it was ok to elect a racist?
After the NC rally, I rest my case.
The GOP has been courting racists since Reagan with coded language and dog whistles.
Now they are all thrilled to be able to shout their racism from the rooftops- or on televised Trump rallies.
320
@marian
you can’t condemn EVERY republican voter as a racist. That’s kind of radial in a way, too.
I think - besides those that go to his ‘shoes- I guess mainly fools and unter educated people that look for distraction- most of the people voted for the Republicans did not want Hillary and have a focus on Economy. They don’t care so much about the Trump show. And when the economy is still doing good in 2020 they will vote for them again. Sad, but true
1
@marian I know from my family of Trump supporters deeply christian aversion to abortion and supreme court appointments supporting anti abortion measures were the deciding issues. Why they continue to support is those same christian social media platforms continuing to support Trump.
4
@marian--Republican Racism began long before Reagan. Nixon employed the Southern Strategy playing on the Anti-Civil Rights sentiment of the 1960's. (Notably, the Southern Democrats had been the racist party until 1964, then they switched parties to become Republicans)
10
If you look closely at the video clip, it becomes clear that some of the background "performers" are repeatedly looking to the same spot off-screen right, and then, when they obviously receive a signal, look forward and start to chant simultaneously.
It was obviously a scripted set-up, and the president no doubt thought it up all by himself, and ordered it to be carried out.
23
@JRW
I wondered that myself. It didn’t seem spontaneous, and the crowd looked like they were taking signals.
1
If Trump was "not happy" with the crowd at his rally, he could have silenced them with a simple request. The fact that he did not speaks volumes.
That it took place at a lectern bearing the presidential seal...that's intolerable.
23
Trump has frequently denied to have said what has been recorded and can be, and has been, replayed in the mass media. He thinks that this undoes it. He never says that he was wrong or made a mistake, and never apologizes. But what it does is to destroy his credibility with anyone with reasonable habits of mind.
11
Surely anyone willing and able to do so has long discredited Trump. This latest obnoxiousness merely reinforces those thoughts with those people. The ones in support of Trump may be a lost cause at this point.
1
Whether or not it was racist is irrelevant: Calling for the exile of American citizens on the basis of their political beliefs is equally appalling and in the long term, I think, even more dangerous to our society.
16
I would like to tell Mr. Trump to go back where he came from.
But that would require a time machine.
9
The video of Trump pridefully basking for 13 seconds as the crowd chants "Send her back" should be prominently featured, alongside his claim to have tried to stop them, in the political advertisements for the 2020 campaign. It captures his penchant for lying and demagoguery.
20
I just noticed the way Melania is glaring in the reporter's direction while the question was being asked. Maybe it was just an instant of a second while her face looked that way, but it looks like a glare -- as in "How dare you?"
7
I would love (LOVE) for the NYT to go four days without posting a photo of Trump, a tweet of Trump's, or any horrific thing he says or does. Knowing every horrible thing this man does just gives him the attention he desires and solves nothing. Focus on other things. There's a lot of other news in the world.
7
@Anne
Bravo! Even the WSJ doesn’t give Trump the publicity he so craves.
3
Lying is so second nature to Trump he can’t tell the difference between the truth and a lie, except when it’s expedient to know or un-know. I think that when he gets in front of roaring Trump-ites he truly isn’t in touch with reality, (not excluding lots of other times). If he spoke out and out “word salad” it would be easier to manage him. Sometimes it doesn’t seem far off.
7
Tried to stop the chanting? His 13 seconds of silence beg to differ.
10
Instead of far-fetched hypotheticals can Sen. Graham point to one instance where Trump praised the contribution of immigrants from places like Somalia
3
I think Graham is kind of right on this one, in that Trump has been happy to accept the support of whomever and even parade the “unique” supporters around. If an individual says nice things about him, he loves it. It doesn’t mean he elevates them in his mind to an equal, nor does it mean he isn’t racist or sexist. He doesn’t hate women and minorities, but he frequently doesn’t respect them or treat them as equals either. And he is always hateful if they don’t behave as he would like.
@EAS
Lindsay Graham is more of a disgrace than Trump. I do hope the good people of S.Carolina will vote him out. Trump was always the fool he is, but Graham’s pandering is sickening.
2
"Tomorrow Belongs to Me" will be the next thing we hear at a Trump rally.
5
I would have assumed that by now this headline would have been changed. The chants were not ugly, they were racist. And is the GOP fretting akin to Atlas shrugging? Also, please stop using Ivanka to sanitize Trump's image. Unless you are citing a source on record, stop with the people said Ivanka spoke to Trump particularly given that the reporting doesn't actually indicate what she spoke with him about. It is a clever slight of hand, but please stop it.
12
Someone in the White House might remind Donald Trump of Senator John McCains response, at a rally, to a woman who disparaged Barrack Obama. It was a high road for the senator and one that endeared him not only to his party but the country regardless of their feeling toward McCains politics.
13
As a lifelong Democrat I agree. This may be the real reason he hates McCain, because it reminds him of the vast cavern between him and decency.
6
"GOP Frets over ugly phrase". Who is fretting?. In every article I read you say the party belongs to him, so why does this matter to them all of a sudden?
7
trump might of well have said this.
From the brilliant satirist Andy Borowitz.
“Trump denies being at North Carolina rally."
15
I think that Trump at his advanced age (73) has become distracted and forgetful. His IQ is undoubtedly diminished by his poor food choices and the people he surrounds himself with. It is sad to see this debasement of his mostly limited abilities at the git go. He needs our understanding.
2
"GOP frets" says all we need to know. The GOP frets but tolerates this man ripping our democracy to shreds and rends the fabric of our country. The GOP frets but tolerates him while it packs our benches with conservatives judges, who will carry on their discriminatory, divisive ideals for the rest of my natural life. The GOP frets while Mitch McConnell refuses to conduct any of Congress's business unless it suits the fretting GOP. The next NYT headline will be "The GOP clutches its corporate pearls"--no pun intended--as Trump vows to stay in office forever.
2
Trump can’t repudiate the "send her back" chant.
It happened as a direct result of his words and actions. His initial tweets set the ground work, he repeated the "they can leave" comment many times after the initial tweets, his speech in Greenville was written and delivered in manner intended to provoke "send her back" just as his speeches during the presidential race were written and delivered in a manner intended to provoke "lock her up". His claim that he spoke quickly to try to cut off the chant is ridiculous:- the videos of the speech show that in fact he did the exact opposite, waiting until the end of the chant and then some before continuing. Trump’s description of what he did is an outright, bald-faced lie.
When a shoplifter is caught red-handed with stolen good outside the store, the theft has occurred. The perpetrator can confess, give back the stolen goods, pay the penalty, apologize, say it will never happen again. Repudiation, however, is not an option.
Trump is a worry, but Trump combined with the weakness of the democratic candidates for president, that is a bigger worry.
5
Underneath the ugly chants of 'send her back' is the distinct sound of Trump's legacy being carved in stone and he knows it.
A snake oil salesman has backed himself into a corner. Immediately after the 2016 election he tried to step back from the 'lock her up' chants saying it was all for show and the Clintons were good people. The crowd were having none of it. Fearful of losing control and chasing the dragon of populism he escalated. Once again the inmates are in charge of the asylum. Can you see him gently rebuke hysterical bigotry at his gatherings? This man is no McCain.
Each scandal is churned into chum by the non stop news cycle, but like Charlottesville, this will be remembered.
5
Perhaps this will put an end to his infernal rallies for a while, at least until he can move on to another chant-producing outrage. Speaking of outrage, or lack thereof, the sickening sanctimony of Rep. Walker is about as much as any human being can take: "send her back" is not any worse than "lock her up."
1
The chanting at the Carolina rally was prearranged and the audience was rehearsed by Trump’s daughter-in-law before he spoke. That Trump didn’t
expect it is a lie.
That at least some of the audience was financially rewarded for being there is very likely. Trump’s rallies are show business and our actor president needs a good audience. His innocence is a lie.
6
In his tweet, Trump did not propose sending any group of immigrants back to their home countries. He asked why immigrant members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who ““loudly and viciously” tell Americans “how our government is to be run” don’t “go back and help fix the the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” His tweet made no mention of race, ethnicity or skin color. It applied to just a few congresswomen who have harshly criticized U.S. polices and called for his impeachment. He was complaining about their politics and virulence, not their skin color. It was not equivalent to telling Irish, Chinese, or Latinos or any other group of immigrants to go back to their home countries.
That ridiculous rationalization has already been considered and rejected by people of conscience and morals, but thanks for reminding us that it’s still moldering on the shelf in the 99-Cent Store of ideas.
3
@William Case Come on, now. To pretend that just because Trump didn't mention race, ethnicity, or skin color means the tweet wasn't racist is just disingenuous. How come he's never told Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, or any other the many other white men he's attacked publicly to go back where they came from? From Barack Obama to the Squad, Trump has made a habit of questioning the citizenship and patriotism of black and brown politicians.
" It applied to just a few congresswomen who have harshly criticized U.S. polices and called for his impeachment." -- When running for election, Trump repeatedly described America in terms of being some sort of post apocalyptic wasteland. So he can harshly criticize U.S. policies (most of his criticism proven to be based on lies, by the way) when it suits him, but that's OK? And people who call for his impeachment should go back to where they came from--that's OK too?
"He asked why immigrant members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who ““loudly and viciously” tell Americans “how our government is to be run” don’t “go back and help fix the the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” --Umm, 3 of the women were born in the US, they are not immigrants. And none of the districts these women represent is "totally broken and crime infested"--that sounds more like the Trump White House and administration.
2
@Mexican Gray Wolf
Pointing out that Tump did not propose sending any group of immigrants back to their home countries. is not a rationalization.
Those of us of a certain age who grew up in the South are very familiar with White Suprematist rallies. They were common with Governors and Senators such as George Wallace, Orville Faunus, and Strom Thurmond, Sr.
The big difference between the White Rallies Trump is doing and those of the old bad days in the South are Trump has air conditioned auditoriums, better lighting and far better sound systems. Otherwise, they seem the same.
8
I'm really curious about the article's headline. It should be Trump pretends to disavow, Trump lies about what happened, Trump shrugs off hateful chant he incited. There should be an accompanying story about his history of presiding over crowds of howling, moblike people. I'd expect this kind of headline from the Washington Times if they have the guts to run the story at all.
6
Trump knows he’s lying about everything. He knows we know he’s lying. His unwillingness to change asserts his power. He is saying, in effect, “so, I’m lying and you and I know it. Will you dare to do anything about it? Didn’t think so. Either worship me at my next rally or run away and hide.”
5
He is currently walking back his disavowal, blaming the media.
2
There is no doubt in my mind that Trump or his handlers planted a couple of stooges in the audience who started the chant. Trump basked in it. So off we go to 2020!
3
The republican senators and representatives who try and minimize the fall out from Trump’s racist statements by saying that Republicans are not in favor of the racists chants are a day too late... the genie is out and one cannot put it back into the republican bag of prejudice characterizing this administration and republicans supporters of the president.
The word is out! This administration is all about exclusion and division along racial, ethnic and religious lines. It will be up to us the voters in 2020 to either participate in that division or to rejected it by voting to rid the country of this cancer.
4
What I saw in North Carolina was disgusting. Trump inflamed the crowd, but they willingly participated. Did anyone walk out when the crowd started chanting "send her back?" I doubt it. God help us now that we know these are fellow citizens. Trump's political survival depends on his ability to find villains that his base can hate. OK, fine. I'll be one of the villains. If you support Trump, you cannot deny what he did. He is an evil man, and you know it. There is no gray area here. You cannot say, "I like his policies, but I don't like him." You cannot say he was only joking. You cannot say that other politicians are worse than him. Do the right thing and reject this, otherwise you are endorsing this evil.
6
Remember in 2008 when the late Arizona Senator John McCain grabbed the microphone from a woman at a town hall meeting? She was spewing racist conspiracies about Barack Obama and McCain abruptly shut her down. Trump could have done the same thing at this week's rally in North Carolina. He could have raised his hand and said to the crowd, "please folks-- America is better than that." He missed an opportunity to gain so much more respect from folks well beyond his base.
6
I am just simply voting BLUE. Always have, always will. That little yellow dog is looking good right about now.
3
Every American should be appalled and disgusted by the ugly display of racism and nativism at the latest Trump road show.
Please vote in 2020, even if your preferred candidate isn't on the ballot. Please vote, for the same of our democracy and future.
8
Help me understand why the reporter did not follow up with reality e.g. "No sir, the American people watched you stop talking so the crowd could get louder and chant in unison."
8
Way to let Ivanka shape the narrative on this, Maggie.
1
A song came to my mind which ages me, “Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now”, but my heart is sunk to one of the lowest levels I have ever felt to see one group of Americans belittle another group and act with blatant disgust and disgrace towards them, essentially telling them to get out. The Trumpians, drawing the line in the sand of you are either with us or against us, loyal to Trump or a traitor to America, curdles the hope in my soul that is trying to stay alive.
4
All you have to do is watch the clip to see that Trump loved the adoring crowd chanting "send her back," basking in his "victory" then waiting a few moments as the chant begins to die down, and then egging them on with more lies, or should we call it what it really is, propaganda. Disgraceful!
7
Trump is an impetuous 13 year old whose father helped him to institutionalize dark mindlessness
2
“Radicalism”??
Single-payer health care and addressing climate change? These are sensible, moderate policies that have been adopted by literally the rest of the entire world.
C’mon NYT, you’re supposed to add a bit of context and reality to these discussions.
16
Focus should be on his efforts to contain the sentiment of his supporter. He wants to expose the radical ideas of his opponents but he doesn’t want to generate hatred against innocent others at the same time. Democrats want to paint him as an evil but the truth is he is not that outrageous fascist. When he shows any modulation of his behavior, please appreciate it and lead him into the bright place. That’s the way of leading his supporters into the same bright place. Praise anything positive not mock it, please.
He’s basically throwing his most ardent supporters under the bus. Typical Trump. He can’t take responsibility.
2
@Young
Naaaaah.
When Mr. Trump shows you who he is, believe him.
Some things are just plain unacceptable.
The only thing Mr. Trump, his sycophants, and his supporters will understand is utter defeat at the polls in 2020.
3
@Young I'll be glad to appreciate any modulation of his behavior as soon as I see it happen. At this point, it is only getting worse and at a frightening pace!
2
God help us all if he is re-elected.
15
It's too late. Even if he does disavow the "send her back" chant, no one will believe he's sincere. The damage is done.
6
This is what you get when a flag flutters above ever house in the land, after decades of radical conditioning that ‘US is best’, melded to a broken education system that prizes conformity over critical thinking. And sugar. Lots and lots of sugar.
The people are dumber than they’ve ever been.
8
Wake up democrats ! Your party is today in the hands of a gang that endangers the existence of the United States ! Never in the history of this country has there been a more dangerous organization for our country, never in the whole world there has been something more dangerous, for the future of our country, than the current Democrat Party !
Replace Democrats with Republicans/Trump and you're spot on.
4
@ION DR- First, if you're not being sarcastic, tone down the drama. Second, if you're not being sarcastic, only trump and his followers think these four woman are the face of the democratic party, none of whom are running for president or in senior-level positions. Third, if you're not being sarcastic, trump and his followers, who fear losing all the white privilege and power, are the only danger to the US. Emphasizing climate change, education, healthcare, racism, equality, pay wages, affordable housing, basic human rights etc. is not dangerous or radical. And, that's what the democratic party was, is and will always be.
3
Maybe there is a bottom to the barrel of vitriol after all, if Mr. Trump has now been convinced that appeals to racism will do his campaign more harm than good.
But let's be skeptical here. His voter base either does not recognize racism when they see it, or does not care. They are not troubled by his lies and love it when he doubles down. Their enthusiasm for the president is not fact driven, but emotion driven. Thus far, his Democratic challengers have marshaled much factual ammunition against him, but little in the way of emotion.
Democrats showed in the 2018 elections that they can win at the polls and win big. They can win again in 2020 if they build a big tent including both moderates and progressives. It will not be hard to craft a platform including all of the party's diverse goals. The big tent concept itself should generate a strong emotional appeal to voters.
4
Trump has never gotten over growing up in his Jamaica Estates enclave and watching the borough of Queens change. I have seen many people of his ilk who are to this day quite bigoted. It's a deep deep resentment. As soon as it was divulged that he would be a candidate for president, My heart sank deeply itself, and it was right then and there that I knew we were in trouble, for I was face to face with the power of bigotry. Trump's desire to change what he could not change in the past by manipulating malleable people who need to be told what's good and bad started immediately, and it was torture to watch. He always had these horrific avenues, but this one was straight to the White House. The young adults will be his downfall, yes, because they don't need to be told what's good and bad. They are our hope, these new voters.
6
No decent person would go to a Trump rally. People go because they know that he will give voice to their resentments and prejudices. No one goes to see this president to be uplifted, inspired or encouraged. There's no 'asking what you can do for your country speeches, no 'shining city on a hill' visions of America at these rallies. It's all hate, indignation, bitterness and rage. One comment claimed that the people at Trump rallies are basically "nice, kind" people, but the truth is they're not. They want to hear him give voice to their prejudices and bigotry, and they laugh and smile and chant hateful slogans and feel good about themselves. It's not a place that any honorable person would go.
14
Though we cannot undo the damage of Trump, I was hopeful we were watching a dinosaur President, lingering racism that would die off in the next decade. Trump has invigorated the evils of racism by introducing our children on how its done. Forget the bankrupt Art of the Deal, Trump's legacy is The Art of Racism: how to be a racist while denying racism.
Double talk.
6
Let’s see:
• “Lock her up!”
And yet Hillary is still sipping Chardonnay in her backyard
• “Build the wall!”
And yet not a meter has been built, and not a single centimo has been coughed up by Mexico
• “Send her back!”
And yet Ilman was welcomed back by cheers in her hometown of Minnesota
(But the MAGA crowd doesn’t need to know these things. Another thing that they don’t need to know? Not one of the 1 percenter who benefited from the Trump tax cut for the uber wealthy attends these MAGA rallies. Chants, placards, rallies. These are for the little people who are just props in the great American swindle.)
Keep ‘Merica Great!
13
@Opinioned!
Respectfully, there is A LOT of border wall that has been built. Quite recently. Although no way is Mexico paying for it, as it’s firmly on the US side of the border. Landowners have mixed feelings about it—they don’t like migrants tramping through their pastures, but neither do they like being cut off from the part of their property that is closest to the border.
send us all back, its failing...
1
Mr. Trump says he is not happy with the chant.
Of course he is happy with the chant.
Mr. Trump is an habitual liar.
9
"GOP Frets Over Ugly Phrase"
Well guys, you courted these deplorables for years, so why are you surprised now. And why are you surprised when this crowd elevated a mentally unstable, incurious, not-very-smart, bigoted man-child to the presidency and the leadership of your party. What you have unleashed will take generations to mend. You have no sympathy from me.
9
The bottom line is that Trump is a baldfaced liar. If the republican party as a whole accepts that then it has reached the point of no return.
5
this is WRONG. Plain and simple. Americans do not do this to other Americans. SHAME SHAME SHAME.
6
"Trump Disavows ‘Send Her Back’ Chant as G.O.P. Frets Over Ugly Phrase"
Trump and his supporters are all for sending 4 women, Americans, back "home" because they are black and because they speak out on the subjects that disturb them.
I would ask Trump and his people: What happened to our guaranteed right to Free Speech? You know, Trump, that Right that is in our Constitution's bill of Rights?
How about these quotes about Free Speech:
** “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
** “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” ― Benjamin Franklin
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/freedom-of-speech
** Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage. Winston Churchill
** I have always been among those who believed that the greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking. Woodrow Wilson
https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/freedom-of-speech.html
4
He loves every minute of it. Right on script. What a vile person. And, of course, a total embarrassment to our country. Shocking that so many people support him. Shocking and frightening.
7
I'm not at all surprised at Trump or the Redhats chanting racist phrases. What I am surprised about is how many reputable journalists can dance around calling Trump a liar.
7
Both of his chants, "Lock Her Up" and "Send Her Back" are disgusting and of course must be condemned. However, as soon as that Omar girl arrived in town she spouted anti-semitic remarks. Why wasn't she censured? Between that person in the White House and her, we are in deep trouble. Racism rears it's ugly head by both of them.
1
@Sari
Criticizing Israel is not the same thing as antisemitism.
I say this as an American Jew.
9
@Sari
“... that Omar girl”?
I guess we refer to your president as “that Trump boy”? Actually, works for me.
3
@Georgia
Maybe yours, but definitely NOT my president.
Trump flat out lied when questioned in the Oval Office about his response to the chant. The reporter failed to follow up on his question. The NYT uses “disavow” in its headline instead of saying he lied. Other journalists tut-tut and laugh among themselves on camera at how “different” Trump is as president. Don’t all of you see how you are enabling this man’s single-handed destruction of this country? What will it take for the media to speak truthfully and directly to and about Trump? Must deaths occur - how many ?
7
“There’s not a racist bone in the president’s body.” Racism isn't in your bones, it's in your mind. And by all the evidence, trump is a racist.
5
Like it or not, Trump has opened the floodgates to American racial hate as never before. He has made legitimate the fear and hatred of millions whose racial animosities he seemed to reflect in 2016. Now that he has exposed that hate fully, he seems surprised to find the groundswell of racial animosity growing without his approving of it, or seeming to, he thinks. He has released a monster that will not be satisfied until it has drunk blood enough to sate it. We do not know when or how that will be. But Trump is the one who depended on hate to get elected and he should not be surprised to find it has a life beyond him. May God have mercy on his soul. No one else will.
6
Trump knows exactly what he's doing. At his 2016 campaign rallies, the loudest response from the crowds came when he talked about building a wall, or led everybody in chants of 'Lock Her Up'.
The Republican Senate will never impeach him. Removing Trump from office via impeachment is therefore impossible. The only way to do it, is by winning the election.
Democrats need to get their acts together, stop squabbling over impeachment - a waste of effort given the Republican Senate - and get Trump out of office A.S.A.P.
7
Look around, find allies, make pacts. This is really getting way out of hand quickly.
3
As much as Trump supporters don’t like it, the minute an immigrant takes the citizenship oath, they have equal rights and responsibilities to those descended from people here in 1776. They can ask for redress if grievances and contribute to he political and social life of the counry.
5
Trump is pulling back the curtain on what has long existed in the United States - a segment of our populace which fears outsiders, change, progress, science and the government itself. Until fairly recently they were a shapeless and marginalized lot. Now with the passive assistance of the GOP and led by a soulless demagogue of a president seeking power, they are emerging as a dangerous affront to our democracy.
This is exactly how a great nation dies.
342
@C. Holmes
In all fairness, America was never a great nation. It was successful mainly because of capitalism which has a hard expiration date. We are about to descend to the bottom of the barrel and will stay there until we wake up and elect a progressive government with an empathetic worldview rooted in social cohesion.
33
@C. Holmes
Well put. With one caveat - the "fear the government" till they need it in the form of any kind of assistance. And of course, their criticism of the government is fine, its just those liberals who arent allowed to criticize the government.
11
@Indisk indeed - exceptionalism and all that...
5
Darn those lying camera's...
17
Headline is misleading and too kind. He's a liar. You can do better NYT.
Trump Denies Support for 'Send Her Back' Chant
Trump Lies About 'Send Her Back' Chant
Trump Attempts to Disavow 'Send Her Back' Chant
Trump Attempts Damage Control 'Send Her Back' Chant
22
@Jamie Good headlines! How about Video Reveals Trump's True Response to "Send Her Back" chant......because he did absolutely NOTHING to stop it.
It's astounding what a colossal, transparent LIAR that man is.
20
This is part of what the buffoon tweeted earlier:
“Mainstream Media, which has lost all credibility, has either officially or unofficially become a part of the Radical Left Democrat Party. It is a sick partnership, so pathetic to watch!”
It's going to be CRITICAL that the Democrats counter his idiotic name-calling with actual, relevant POLICY in 2020.
13
@Mike Schmidt
One can only guess how fox is handling this. Would love to know.
He said nothing to stop the chant, and that's bad. But to be fair, he made a bit of a face. It was definitely a negative reaction. (Though perhaps merely because he accurately sensed it would cause a problem for him.)
At any rate, the Trump we all know is not about to scold his supporters, even if he ought to, at least not actually during a rally. He knows they could turn on him, as they one day may. He has to watch his step.
Overall, though I oppose him and his presidency, I believe him that he was not keen on the chant.
1
@Dixon Pinfold Sorry but I don't agree. The tweets leading up to the speech set the tone and created the environment. Lara Trump warmed up the crowd before Donald and gave them the desired response. Do you really think he had no imput in that?
He expected the response and his body language of puffed chest and chin up are indicative of pride as he lets the validation wash over him. See when he unceremoniously shoved the Prime Minister of Montenegro, same pose.
7
@Dixon Pinfold
Please. The real question is: why does he cultivate these people's support in the first place? The Daily Stormer -- a white supremacist neo-Nazi website -- was delighted with his obnoxious tweets. Since when does any US president need or want that kind of backing?
3
@Dixon Pinfold
That was his Mussolini face. He does it a lot when he wants to look tough. He was loving that moment.
Trump's ease at lying is astounding. It's as if he thinks there's no video of the rally showing he did no start speaking immediately to quell the racist chant.
Wait until the next rally when he feigns trying to stop the crowd chanting. Trump is disgusting.
15
Your headline is deceptive. Rather than "disavow" you should say LIES.
16
Thank you, New York Times for keeping it real. Nothing better than a video to prove what a lowdown, lying individual our Commander in Chief is. He's a pathetic disgrace to our nation and the world, a racist and dishonest bully who cares for no one. Donald Trump will hurt or belittle anyone without a second thought. Please good citizens, vote correctly in 2020. We cannot allow this dastardly man to remain in the highest office of our beloved country any longer. Throw him out! Trow him out! Throw him out!
16
it was in NC.OFF yo yhe next rally. Off to more racist chants, more of the same just a different city to spew his hatred and lies . To appeal to his base. got to keep the base. it got you elected doubt it will help again. GOD HELP US IF HE WINS. WE'LL BE IN A WAR REAL SOON
2
Gee. folks, do you wonder what Trump's third wife thinks about "send her back"? Oh, right, no problem, she's a white cover=girl female. Big difference from a Muslim woman. This evil man has shamed all Americans around the world.
11
"He was not happy" joins the many other Con jobs from this liar.
He'll release his tax returns after the audit,
He never paid stormy Daniels.
He'll make America great again ???????
This Russia thing is a hoax.
Health insurance for everyone, cheaper and better
Etc. Etc. Etc....................................Etc X 1000's
11
To those that believe we are a "Christian" Nation and that prayer belongs in schools and who also support a race-mongering hateful President with a dangerous and very Anti-American ideology, I suggest you go back to the Bible and learn a thing or two about Jesus Christ.
This entire debacle is a disgrace and those who support hate should be absolutely ashamed.
12
@Maryellen
Plus he broke the third commandment twice in the rally and has not repented.
Will evangelicals even notice anymore?
1
ah, the wink and the nod. One of the Trumpster's signature moves. My bones aren't racist said the Twitter troll, just my thoughts and deeds. MAGA, like in my daddy's day when we could keep the "undesirables" like blacks and Jews out of our "high class" apartments. Or better yet "send them back where they came from", another racist and antisemitic trope brought to light and use by the great leader and embraced by his most devoted followers. Sad, so much ugliness held in small hands and a shrunken heart.
8
Compared to what the left has chanted about him "send her back is nothing" Tired of snowflakes.
@Ricardoh
The Trump Republicans are scared little trolls. They are scared of everything. Mostly, they are scared of the future. They fear the bogeyman under their beds when the lights are turned out.
Trumpism is nothing but nostalgia for a past that never really existed.
Trump supporters are the true snowflakes.
8
Examples, please.
5
@Ricardoh
What have they said?
2
The United States is nearly unique in the world in that we are a nation bound together by a common philosophy, as embodied in the Constitution, rather than a common ethnic or religious heritage.
I may disagree with many of the political views of the "squad." However, I wholeheartedly support their right to express their views and to represent their constituents in Congress.
My direct ancestor, Thomas Stone of Maryland, signed the Declaration of Independence. The four congresswomen of the "squad" are just as American as I am.
42
Trump does this sort of thing on purpose. He wants the attention he craves. He knows very well that he did nothing to stop this, but if he says he did, he knows it is going to rile up the left and get a reaction from them. It is part of his deflection routine. It keeps the attention focused on him and he controls the narrative.
23
The headline is wrong, the GOP does not fret over these racist chants and tweets--it is their life blood.
33
Fret all you want Republicans. You made your bed with Trump -- in order to gut the ACA, bestow tax cuts on your rich puppetmasters, and for a Federalist Society take-over of the Judicial Branch. Now go lie in it.
36
I lay the blame for what is happening in the U.S. right now totally at the filthy rich feet of Rupert Murdoch and his son, the awful one. FOX News has been deliberately preaching all this fear and hate-mongering for over 20 years, and millions of people believe the lies and garbage they spew out. Those people on that channel have been stirring up hatred and distrust of others, and those people like Trump. How on earth can anyone support this liar, cheat, woman abuser, lover of despots, predator of the weak dangerous Bully who has hurt our country so badly? Well, the love of money is the root of all evil. I don't give a hoot about the economy if we have to have a President who is destroying the entire country and having a disastrous effect on the entire Planet! We must begin marching in the streets, y'all. This is getting too scary.
33
The whole thing was planned. Nodding while they chant isn’t disavowing.
27
What we saw in North Carolina is the face of the Republican Party. McConnell said as such - he "gets" it. Fascism is on the rise in this country, no doubt about it. It needs to be erased from America, this stain, the GOP. Vote them out.
32
Why is it when we of color complain about racism, intolerance and other heinous crimes committed against us, we are anti-American? We had a black president and the right kept up the he is not like us. He was not taught like us. Thank God for that. His religion was lied about. He was bi-racial until he tried to do something. His wife made the truthful statement She never thought she would live to see that day he would be president, she, first lady and was called anti-American. At 70, I cannot begin to tell you how many times I was told to go back to Africa. Go back 400 years to where? If being proAmerican is to tolerate intolerance, mass shootings, burning churches, blowing up churches, synagogues, mosques, beatings due to race creed or color stifling the 1st amendment, not me. Say whatever you want, if it is wrong, I will say so, including having this fool in office.
30
The South has risen. And Trump may have triggered it. That's his permanent legacy. Shameful.
13
@Harley Leiber...then we must squash it again. Lesson not learned I guess.
2
We have to send this man packing in 2020. The next president will have to stay in a hotel the first week or two while the White House is fumigated and the gold stripped from the walls of the private residence.
23
@John Don't forget the poles and the mirrors on the ceiling.
3
The next President will stay in a hotel for a while, as Trump takes his loss to court to attest the election was rigged. Would not surprise me a bit if he refuses to leave if the election is close. He’ll demand recounts, file suits, take issues to court and basically try to stay president for months. The man’s ego knows no bounds.
2
Trump lies to us every day; Trump does not have a Presidential bone in his body. Thanks, Putin.
17
You have to love that the concern of Ivanka and the other members of his inner circle was that his comments would hurt him with voters, not that these are repugnant, immoral things to say. That tells you everything you need to know right there.
Heckuva job, Ivanka!
26
True to his character, our president resorted to to lying...
17
More sickening than Trump and his remarks is the crowd of mindless supporters participating in this obscene chant, and the elected representatives refusing to censure him or them.
13
How can you disavow something that is in your bones.
5
Woodrow Wilson, Democratic President from 1913 to 1921 was considered by historians the most racist president since the Civil War. Donald Trump is working very hard to dislodge him from that spot.
6
Trump's lie about his speaking quickly to squash the chant is exposed by watching the video. Just as applause to a statement finally dies to let the speaker continue, so did the chant die as the audience wanted to give the floor back to Trump. He absolutely waited until chanting stopped of its own accord.
I'm willing to bet the chant will pop up every time he starts to disparage the Squad doing future rallies. I'm also willing to bet he lets it continue for far too long each time, smirking and then disingenuously chastising the crowd .
11
Say what you will and Trump can say what he will too......
BUT
Donald Trump represents, encourages, preaches HATE of his fellow man.......
If both Trump and his rally crowds represent today's America we, America, are in very serious trouble......
Hopefully, God forbid, we are not following the same path that Germany of the 1930s went down - those of us who know history know the disaster that became......
A truism - "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" !!.........
6
The irony of what Trump said is completely lost on hm.
"...calling on the four Democratic congresswomen who he said “originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe” to “go back” and “help fix” them."
Isn't that why Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Ihan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ran for public office last year? To "go back" to Washington and "help fix" a government that is "a complete and total catastrophe?"
7
McCarthyism is alive and well in America. Delivered straight from the Whitehouse. I am not sure there are adequate words to describe just how sick, twisted and mid nineteen hundreds this is. And just because it needs to be said a million times over, our racist provocateur of violence and hatred president made absolutely no attempt to stop what he started at that rally. Just despicable!
8
He lies. The day before the rally on live TV we all heard him say the four congresswomen should go back to their own countries and clean them up. Apparently he was too ignorant to know that a congressman must be an American citizen and that three of the women were American born.
In any case the chanting was set up by his daughter-in-law and the audience was rehearsed.
I wonder how many in audience were paid to be there too? Surely many of his theatrical shows are prearranged.
9
Republican efforts to exercise just a tad of control/ distance from Trump's ongoing scree is like putting lipstick on a pig.
5
Right celebration, wrong airport!
“Send her back!”
Maybe they were talking about Melania.
9
SHAME! Vote him out!
4
"doesn't have a racist bone in his body" because he has no spine! He caves once he gets feedback from his enablers, but has no sense of right or wrong. He's weak, without any sense of ethics, morals - just plays to the crowd and let's them go nuts. A coward, a menace, a deplorable who gins up his "supporters", then backs down when reprisals come. It'll be more of the same with tweets, at rallies because he has no moral backbone - just a sloppy entertainer who thinks his base are Apprentice wannabees.
6
You reap what you sow. The racist Trump sowed racist seeds when he tweeted “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” Republicans will also reap the harvest if they do not speak out against this—they will be defined as a racist Party & have to live with that in the ballot box.
2
Meanwhile, Native Americans think to themselves, "Why don't all of you go back to your countries of origin?"
8
The Lyin’ King....a new musical.
11
Ending the DJT presidency at one term is the tip of the iceberg. Today's furious indignation about the July NC rally will be spent long before November 2020. Rejecting DJT in November 2020 leaves the likes of Mitch McConnell and the Republican Freedom Caucus in Washington, D.C.. Assume for the moment DJT tempers his rally chant to "Keep them out". The central challenge is to sustain for 15 months the sentiment to vote from office not only DJT but also the likes of Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell. They are responsible for the very successful effort to repopulate the judiciary with openly partisan jurists like Brent Kavanaugh. As are Republican legislators crafting and passing legislation to gerrymander districts for decades.
2
Well, on the one hand, it’s good that he disavowed the chant. On the other, he is clearly lying, as the video showed him basking, Mussolini-like, in the moment instead of trying to stop it. Further, if he didn’t agree with the sentiments of the chant, then why did he tweet the same thing himself just a few days earlier, and continue to defend the sentiments in the tweet throughout the week?
16
@Matt Carey Since he's clearly lying, why is it good that he disavowed it? It's meaningless.
2
@Matt Carey
I agree with all you say except that I thought he looked uncomfortable, not basking. Cheers.
When is Mr. Trump going to tell the hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens who have overstayed their visas in the United States to "go back where they came from"?
I'm waiting.
17
@MidtownATL when they start bashing this country and making openly antisemitic remarks on the national stage. Neither of which they are likely to do. Both of which the Congresswoman has routinely done.
1
@Mkm
Criticizing Israel is not the same thing as antisemitism. I say this as an American Jew.
The biggest critics of Israel are most American Jews. The biggest unconditional supporters of Israel (and the corrupt right-wing Netanyahu administration, aligned with the Saudi criminals) are the evangelical "Christian" right, who have their own apocalyptic agenda.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump promised us American Carnage. Contrast that with Reagan's "Morning in America" and "Shining City on a Hill."
Who is the real America-basher?
2
I see that once again Ivanka Trump is being held up as the measured voice of reason in this administration, which is laughable at best. Can we please stop giving the beautiful women of this administration glossy coverage and start looking in-depth at their complicity in the destruction of American institutions and norms?
22
For his reelection campaign, there is nothing the President Trump would like more than for Representative Ilhan's photograph in a hijab to be seen the face of the Democratic Party. Likewise, Trump sees the others in the squad as helping his chances for reelection. I expect continued outrageous statements and conduct from Trump to keep him and the squad in the news. I expect the press to continue to take the bait, which will make the media an unwitting accomplice to Trump's reelection campaign.
2
This should make clear to everyone why the deportation machine must be significantly scaled back, if not dismantled altogether. If it isn't, it's only a matter of time before Trump and his goons start using it to exile critics. A fascist president will simply be too inclined to use these massive law enforcement organizations with billions in funding and increasing sophistication without regard even for the meager protections that exist now. DHS has also started a denaturalization task force, and the immigration agencies have shown themselves to be incredibly politicized (see CBP facebook page, see ICE union). It is clear that Trump and a plurality of Republicans consider people of color and critics of the administration to be un-american and foreign who should not be here to begin with.
6
Trump’s entire political career has been marked by overt racism as the driving force since he crusaded for Birtherism. I don’t understand how the GOP politicians would know when they should tell the President he has gone too far.
Anyone who has followed the Republican Party since 1964 can see they have become more and more the party of white identity. Their agenda is to take away your health care, union organizing rights, environmental protection, banking restrictions, and progressive tax system. But boy do they make you feel good about being white and/or Christian.
The Republican Party is built on a house of racial grievance. The elected officials not named Trump all know it and aren’t about to criticize the guy at the top and risk getting kicked to the curb. Love it or leave it could just as well apply to racism in the GOP.
11
I find it odd that a large crowd would spontaneously chant something in unison unless they knew about the chant in advance.
Not only is Trump happy with the despicable behavior of his hate rally crowd, I'll bet they were told to do it.
Remember, this is Donald Trump, a con man who pretended to be his own publicist while on the phone to reporters back in the day (Google John Barron) and who paid people to come to his presidential campaign kickoff in 2015.
16
The American political system is broken and moribund...the election of a con artist such as Trump shows that as does the inaction by congress out of fear for career longevity.
The reluctance of octegenarian Nancy Pelosi to support impeaching Trump is mainly do to her fear of losing the House in 2020 and her job as speaker.
Just as a president has a term limit, so should congress members. It's not healthy in a democracy for members holding jobs for life. You wind up like Pelosi or Mitch McConnell.
Whether successful or not, Trump should have an impeachment mounted to set as public record what a corrupt, outrageously vulgar and incompetent person he is.
His being in office is a test for the American people and our government. So far, we haven't done very well and may never achieve what we should as a democracy.
5
Did you read his Tweets today? Is that what your definition of "fretting" is?
8
He just keeps lying and lying and lying. The GOP stands by, says and does nothing. They are so complicit.
11
McCarthy and his GOP toady friends are the very embodiment of hypocrisy as they excuse Trump's racism while pretending to be offended by Send Her Back chants from their supporters. Please spare me.
5
Incredible to watch him deny reality over and over. More incredible to watch followers go along.
8
I fail to understand how anyone can, with a straight face, deny Trump is a racist let alone support the current incarnation of the GOP. It's a terrifying case study in how quickly political discourse can devolve, how powerful demagogues can be, and how gullible and ignorant are a significant proportion of the population.
11
His stepping back is typical of trump the coward. Create a problem then solve it and take credit for the latter. How many times has he played this card. Let me count the ways.
8
All the religious fundamentalists who are strong supporters of Trump should turn again to the New Testament and read the passage where the people shout "Crucify him!" They are shouting now and we must stand up against this horrible man and get him out of the White House! NOW!
4
Can we talk about the fact that “Lock HER up” and “Send HER back” have one thing in common? This racist/sexist twofer strategy is pretty convenient if your goal is alienate everyone who isn’t a white male, but exceedingly tone deaf to those of us actually living in America.
7
He tweeted much worse than the chant.
2
Besides the racist overtones of “send her back” is the key word “her” which can also be interpreted as get women out of seats of power and send them back to the 1950s.
8
The President is lying again but that was yesterday.
6
Trump "disavowed" last night and then doubled-down this morning.
8
Has Trump ever expressed true remorse for any of the vile things he's said and done?
3
He is despicable. Beyond redemption. He qualifies for the old Supreme Court definition of "obscenity: Utterly lacking in redeeming social value."
I am personally embarrassed by his conduct, and ashamed for the promise of America.
4
I am a visible minority immigrant, and I am equally disgusted by those who gang up together because of their ethnicity, as if ethnicity is a disability. These congresswomen chose to make their ethnicity a central issue by going after Nancy Pelosi and accusing her of discrimination. For crying out loud, these people were elected into the highest legislature of the land, and are allowed (rightly so) to criticize and curse the leader of the free world. Does that sound like discrimination, fascism or Nazi Germany? But those are exactly the phrases they used to describe America. I find that offensive, as much as Trump's racist tweets. Saying 'go back to your countries' is a bit extreme, but I would say that they should just quit their elected office job and go back to their old jobs. They are unfit to represent the American people. If you want equal treatment, you should behave as an equal. Constant whining about race and ethnicity is not equal behavior.
4
So now, five days later, Ivanka and a few Rep Congressmen come out of the woodwork to express concern about “send them back” — mind you, they aren’t condemning the original racist and mean spirited tweets that began this; they are only condemning the stupid Trump supporters who are just ‘following orders’. Well, the whole situation is disheartening yet utterly predictable. Yet I hope that Americans will remember everything that has happened these last years as they vote.
7
I am still voting for President Trump
4
Why?
3
@NYC Dweller
That's great. And your vote in New York state won't count, thanks to the electoral college.
5
The current occupant of the White House is largely right about one thing in this appalling situation -- three of those Congresswomen have come from a country whose government IS "a complete and total catastrophe.” They are making an effort to “help fix” it by serving in Congress. The fourth, while not originally from the United States, is just as American as the others, and embraces the same mission.
The silent Republicans should be deeply ashamed of allowing and continuing to enable this "total catastrophe" -- and I believe that many of them are. They must take a stand.
11
Congressman Mark Walker says "we cannot be defined by this." Wrong, wrong and wrong. "Send her back" is precisely why a lot of people are voting Republican.
6
Why would they bother telling Trump to repudiate the chant? Is there anyone alive that would believe him regardless of what the video evidence so clearly proves?
4
Another in a long list of provable untruths. The video clearly shows him relishing in the audience response, holding back a smile. Appalling.
11
I can't believe I'm saying this, but, in 45's defense, he didn't seem to be enjoying the chant.
2
I disagree, but one could reasonably speculate that he was annoyed because he had to stop talking for a few moments.
3
F In Texas,
Nonsense. He let it go on for 13 seconds, marinating in the hatred.
Trump could have said something if he wanted to. He always does.
5
@F in Texas
President Stable Genius initiated the phrase a few days before. Had he never said that, the crowd never would’ve chanted it. In essence, he led the horse to water, then was “surprised” it drank.
1
President Cruel can no longer get away with his revisionist history. Not enough for day-later denouncement. We need to press him and play it back right in his face. Also, the real question isn’t why he didn’t stop them, but why did he say it in the first place and encourage his rabid base?
6
I believe the only thing Trump regrets about the ugly spectacle of chants at his rallies is when they make him look bad enough that a few politicians will finally try to rein him in. Anyone who thinks Trump does not harbor ill will toward poor, powerless, nonwhite people everywhere should apply to Mar A Lago for a discounted membership. That would be delusional too.
5
One more time, dear NYTImes, he did "claim," he did not "falsely assert," he LIED about trying to stop the chant. Simple, clear, four letters. You could dress it up a bit and say "Even in the face of videotape that clearly shows the beamed and allowed the crowd it's blood lust for an appalling 13 seconds, Trump lied about his reponse, saying he "spoke quickly." The President repeated the lie at two media sprays in an obvious and pathetic attempt to disavow the chant.
6
how many times does this president have to lie to my face for me to know he has a chronic condition? and his GOP co-horts never call him on it. it has come to the point where we cannot believe a word that comes from his mouth, regardless of the fact. no wonder we have come to such disrepute in the world.
5
This man can't accept responsibility for anything. He is worse than a 10 year old.
7
Is this person the man Americans really want to be the "Leader" of our country? We are in very bad shape if this morally bankrupt rabble rouser (aka Donald Trump) is actually the person a majority of Americans in any state want to be POTUS for 4 more years.
2
It is neither racist nor slander to call out a Congressperson for thier own comments. Same goes for the President. If disparaging America is the only way you can communicate or conjul America to be better than there are those who are going to swing back. In the last two the squad has labeled Speaker Pelosi and Joe Binden racist - I do not feel their pain or believe it.
2
and we are expected to believe that someone planted by the Trump campaign didn't start the chant?
3
Wow, such heart-warming sincerity from our president!
It is beyond tragic how Trump has divided our nation. We live in a 24/7 circus of bipolar theatrics. How can the world function with a president so dishonest, morally vacuous, and devoid of any integrity? It's clear Republicans are punch drunk on holding onto power and the death by a thousand cuts of our democracy will never become apparent to them. Democrats are our only hope to unite our nation and rescue us from this cesspool of morally degraded leadership.
3
Am I the only one who failed to see or hear a "disavowal" on the part of the demagogue in the White House or any leaders of the G.O.P.? What I saw was an unambiguous lie by Trump about "trying" to stop the racist and dangerous chant that he was so clearly basking in for at least 13 seconds at the mob "rally" in Greenville.
While responsibility for the seemingly inevitable violence to follow during Campaign 2020 lies squarely at the feet of Trump, Republicans, Fox News, and the racist Trump base, it is simply inaccurate and irresponsible for the NYT to describe Trump's words as a "disavowal" and frankly it is not not very different from the ridiculous excuses for Trump's horrifying behavior being made by Lindsay Graham, Kevin McCarthy, Mitt Romney, and the rest of the Vichy Republicans on a daily basis.
Their worship of power and wealth over human decency and the ideals and principles of our nation explains their actions. What is it then that explains the NYT's insistence on gifting Trump, the G.O.P., and Ivanka (!?!) unearned and unintended "plausible deniability" for what is clearly a purposefully hateful and violence-generating strategy by publishing headlines and stories like this? At what point is the ethical price of journalistic "access" a price too high?
6
I became involved in anti-war protests beginning in 1966, believing the American presence in Vietnam was wrong. I had "America Love It Or Leave It!" thrown at me, and my peers, multiple times.
But the times now are eerie, frightening, and fraught. The enemy is here at home, and harder to define. And there's little in sight to unite us, no clear action to take to recover our identity and our values.
Voting Trump out, voting Republicans out, yes. But 40% of Americans with such volatile views? And no sense that any candidate has the power to bring us together?
Increasingly I think we could be descending into a fascist-like mindset. Beyond those chanting at North Carolina, a vast majority of Republicans still rank Trump highly.
When he was elected, I was stunned. Then I was constantly amazed and befuddled. Now -- I'm scared.
562
@SGK
"And no sense that any candidate has the power to bring us together?"
Today, the political benefit is in dividing not uniting. Our system was premised on compromise, which out -of-control gerrymandering has made nearly impossible.. Ending it would be the single most important step to producing candidates and eventually leaders who understand its importance and have an incentive to make government work.
25
@SGK
As fine and as astute a post as I've read in the NYT.
As repugnant and loathsome as clearly Trump is ( and frankly always has been) the real and worrying problem to this reader is the American electorate.The very fact that many millions are happy to support and endorse his warped racist, divisive and unhinged views is not only staggering but rather worrying and speaks volumes about where America finds itself in this social media 24/7 age.
Sadly,I do not think the genie can be put back in the bottle.
57
@SGK Well said, I agree with your points and thank you for protesting the war in Vietnam :).
24
I am currently reading Becoming, Michelle Obama's biography. She speaks of the time when President Trump insisted that President Obama was not an American citizen; not born in Hawaii, one of the US' 50 states. She also spoke of the fear that this caused her for the safety of her husband, her daughters and herself. Allowing this kind of blatant racism to continue is a crime against humanity and should not what the US be known for in its own land but around the world. I am happy to hear that the 4 Congresswomen being target at this time are being protected but is this enough? What is it going to take to stop this insanity? Let's pray for the safety of these women and their families, foremost and for someone or someones to put an end to this and bring the nation together.
17
Hate is easy. Civility, respect, tolerance, empathy are harder I guess. There were children at that rally, being taught this behavior.
OT: Trump shouldn't be allowed to be on any ballot without releasing his tax returns.
And neither should Pence. Can't we at least get this proposal through? That would help a lot
12
There are so many things that he could have (and should in the future) done to stop the chant. Cueing loud music, speaking out loudly like John McCain, leaving the stage and ending the rally,.....
Instead he basked.
Let’s see what he does next time.
11
This video betrays Trump’s staggering weakness of character and utter lack of leadership ability. Sad!
12
When John McCain was faced with a supporter saying that President Obama wasn't born in the United States and that he was a Muslim, John McCain could have let it go and even goaded it on for political support. Instead being a decent person he immediately corrected the comment and disavowed the notion that there is any room for such divisive language in any civil political discourse. He knew the danger in letting political supporters go down this road.
Juxtapose that incident with Donald Trump. Instead of not going down that road he has literally built a highway for this racist nationalist rhetoric. Agree with John McCain politically or not, everyone knows he was a decent man who always saw public service as being a calling greater than oneself. Donald Trump is the antithesis of all the virtues that people like John McCain and President Obama represent.
VOTE!!!!!!
15
The Obama/McCain election seems a lifetime ago.
The tone of discourse has changed so much.
2
Maybe the Don is truly a racist, maybe it’s only a strategy of someone too dumb to understand the effect (speaking here of the Don). But what the Democrats need to focus on and hammer on is that Trump is, always has been and always will be a con man. Hammer on his campaign promises with no results, his alienation of America’s allies, his thousands of lies. In general, the damage done, important things left undone. Then focus on the key issues that fueled the blue wave in 2016 and don’t be distracted by the Don’s tired antics, which will become more frenzied and extreme. Stay away from fringe issues. Stay focused and learn from the GOP playbook: Pick your points and stay on them, and then repeat, again and again. Hammer a consistent message that any voter can comprehend and react to.
Three-word slogan: Vote him out
8
@Cartcomm
Except that all of his campaign promises were pretty much reprehensible. I don’t really want allies like Ann Coulter.
I wonder what the Trump supporters at this rally who chanted send her back think about Trump's disavowal?
4
There is no thinking involved.
2
Now, if only the GOP would disavow Trump and all that he stands for, we can get back to the business of our normal, two party acrimony. Get him outta here!
3
You know what...none of this matters. They are strong women who can handle the racist comments, because I’m sure they all faced it many times before.
Please stop putting so much focus on this because we are losing focus on the election and taking away from our democratic candidates, which I’ve already read on Twitter from many of trump’s supporters laughing about.
trump is focusing this election on being a good American racist. We need to let the republicans cut their own throats with the hatred they condone and spread.
Ignore the chants from his supporters as it truly shows just how deplorable, ignorant and uneducated they are.
A true American fights against injustice, a true American fights against racism, a true Americans fights against corruption and greed, and these supporters are not true Americans.
4
When voted out of office, Donald Trump should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for his many crimes, and treated as an outcast; no forgiveness or redemption for this evil person allowed.
5
This us really rich. Trump, who regularly deflects blame to someone other than himself for his own actions, is now pointing the finger and blaming his own supporters!
HIS OWN SUPPORTERS! Once they digest that, if they still support him and don't see him for what he is -a con man- then they really need to go back to school.
Go Back to School! Go Back to School! My new chant I suggest we take up for his heads-in-the-sand followers. As for Trump... maybe Go Back Under (Your Rock)! Go back Under! Go Back Under!
7
Trump created a monster and now he owns it. God bless North Carolina.
4
I think trump’s behavior is so dangerous for our society. He is trashing the notion of good behavior, of civility. The GOP has been playing with fire and the house is smoldering. What a way to trash a country!
3
There is nothing racist about thinking that a person who was rescued as a child from a war-torn country by loving, generous people ought to exhibit a modicum of gratitude towards them, or at least a speck of humility.
2
@JW
I express gratitude for my country in part by exercising my right to criticize our government when I disagree with its actions.
I may not agree with many positions of the "squad", but I wholeheartedly defend their rights to both express their views and to represent their constituents in Congress.
My direct ancestor, Thomas Stone of Maryland, signed the Declaration of Independence. He is rolling over in his grave right about now.
5
Trump is gaslighting us again. Who are you going to believe, Trump or the video that shows him basking in the racist heat coming from the crowd? Now he's upset that the mainstream media is so focused on the chant. They are right to be so focused. He is destroying our republic from the inside.
7
We have a dictator-wannabe who publicly fantasizes about sending his opponents into exile. And he has a maddened mob supporting him. And only now does he realize that he has a political scandal that might threaten his re-election.
4
That's the first time I've seen a politician throw an entire audience under the bus to save his skin, but then Mr. Trump is a man of firsts.
23
Trump, his supporters, and now the GOP thrive on the toxic juice of racial division, as they rage in the realization that the days of white majority are numbered. Trump's appeal is founded on race. It's good to have it out in the open.
9
We Americans are at a turning point. We will either disavow this accident of a president at the polls in 2020 or we will embark on an entirely new course in our history. As George Will has said, "Once is an aberration. Twice is a trend."
Trump is poisoning the body politick as surely as a glass full of strychnine.
We cannot go down Trump's road without abandoning everything we've ever stood for that is good. All Americans of good will must now save this republic from itself.
20
@Bob in Oregon. I could not agree more. What is most disturbing is the enabling of his toxicity by the party. The silent are doing more damage. It will be a crucial choice in 2020. Odd that it feels like history repeating itself in some ways.
I am going to be knocking on doors in northern Virginia in the fall of 2020 (my own State, Maryland, is reliably Blue), telling folks where their polling places are and making sure they can get there on Election Day. May I suggest that those who want to actually make America great again -- by ridding it of the blatantly racist Mr. Trump and all the Republicans who support his racism (including all who do not clearly denounce it) -- not only show up at the polls but take some time to make sure others do too.
17
Perhaps two things are now clear. Trump isn't going to run against Joe Biden (or indeed any of the Democratic candidates) in 2020, he is going to run against Ilhan Omar.
The second is that no-one among Trump's supporters, not even the least reflective of them, seriously believes that Trump is going to expel Rep. Omar from the United States. Nor to they believe for a moment that he is somehow going to make America 'white' again.
No: these were words within words; a thinly-veiled, pointed message. What they chanted was "send her back". What they meant, however, was "know your place".
13
Please remember that none of the Republicans who went on record for this article voted for HR499, the resolution that condemned Trump's tweets, so their words of consternation mean nothing.
16
You can say what you want about our president, but at least we all have to agree that his behavior is 100% consistent. He never admits he made a mistake, he never apologizes, he never backpedals.
In light of that, take note of how this is playing out. He can't admit that maybe, just maybe, his remarks on the Squad were ill-advised. But the "send her back" chant? Well, that wasn't something HE did (according to him). So this opens the door for him to be the extender of the olive branch and in a weird way do some damage control on the fissure he created, without ever acknowledging that he was the problem in the first place. Strange? Yes, but we're in a strange place, the mind of Donald Trump.
2
A constituent of Ms Omar in MN Fifth District here in Minneapolis I did not vote for her in her initial venture to Congress. But please let it be known. After the trickle down hate and chilling silence of condemnation from the GOP she will not only receive my future yea but financial support as well.
16
And yet, Trump told these American leaders to "go back" first. Does that mean that he is now admitting that he is unhappy with himself, or just that those close to him clearly see him as a racist and are afraid that will become even clearer to the public? The really frightening part here is that most Republican leaders refuse to call his comments racist. That clearly shows us that they are also. An entire racist conservative party! At least it is out in the open now.
8
When Obama, the media creation, was elected...and people said they didn't like him...many democrats said, fine, then leave the country. How is this different OR something new? And while we are on the subject of leaving...Rosie O'Donnell announced to the world MULTIPLE times that she was leaving the country if Trump got elected president. Why is she still here?
1
As with everything, nuance matters. Such false equivalence is useless. Why did they dislike Obama, what had he done or said to invite their specific wrath and vitriol? Now compare that with what Trump has said and done to invite this backlash.
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@Tom. Do you really not understand the difference between someone leaving voluntarily versus being “sent” back?
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Birthers made Obama a media sensation. Just as those folks behaved like racist then towards Obama, so too, are they acting like racists towards those 4 women today. No one can have it both ways when it comes to the media. If publicly promoting a negative, hateful message- expect it to be called out on by the public.
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Disliking Trump is not the same as disliking America. His fans merely feed his, and therefore, their own egomanias. Those people appear to forget the 1st Amendment is about much more than religion. Maybe it would be best for them TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL before trying to dictate where fellow citizens go to..
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Has anyone remarked how this is EXACTLY the phrase was chanted at the Little Rock Nine when they courageously withstood pushback on their being the first to go to a formerly segregated white school in Little Rock, AK back in 1957? Even Oprah had an episode in the 1990's or early 2000's where she reunited the white woman in the infamous photo who is clearly angrily shouting at one of the female black students. The white woman came onto Oprah's show, and so did that black student, so that the white woman could be facilitated by Oprah to apologize and to say it took her time to know what she did was wrong, but now she knows. The same thing is going on here, different context, but the same. History does in fact repeat itself.
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The GOP is not fretting. It's complicit.
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Avow, disavow, it doesn't matter because there are no consequences for his actions and his supporters love it when he sticks his finger in the eye of liberal sensibilities. Congress wrings its hands and passes a meaningless bill scolding the President for his actions, but fails to censure him or begin a formal impeachment investigation. The NYTimes and other MSM outlets keep Trump and his hate speech on their front pages so he wins the info war for another week. Meanwhile liberalism loses to authoritarianism and nothing seems to stop him.
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Who wouldn't believe that there are shills in the audience to lead them into saying whatever the Trump machine wants them to say? This is a slippery President - he does one thing, but says another. The man crosses lines day after day. Surely, with his frequent lying, he should be considered unfit for office and impeachable.
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These Trump rallies are only going to get worse. It is chilling to think that there is this kind of hate spewed at these rallies are encouraged by this occupant of the White House. Trump is President in name only.
Just as hateful are the Republicans in Congress who back Trump vocally like Graham and Mitchell and those who remain mute.
If every voter does not rise up and get rid of President of ten thousand lies we will become a Fascist nation.
Fox News and Tucker Carlson should not be thought of as being anything but supporting Fascism with their lack of civility and courage in broadcasting their support of these rallies of Trump supporters.
We are fast becoming a Nation no longer deserving of respect
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@Jean
"We are fast becoming a Nation no longer deserving of respect"
Sadly, I'm afraid that ship has already sailed.
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I beg the Democrats to not allow Trump to bring the election topics down to his level again. One of my biggest beefs with Hillary is she abandoned the high ground immediately and rather than fighting based on her knowledge, experience and policies she took the bait and went into the mud with the mud king. When a child calls you a name do you freak out and attack like a child or do you respond that it is wrong with a bemused expression and then laugh it off as insignificant coming from an uniformed juvenile.
That is how you beat Trump by making it clear that he is a child and his comments are wrong but you do not start name calling like in an elementary school fight ( i know you are but what am I). Be the adult, talk about the issues which most agree he cant win on other than the economy (which was already growing when he took office), and don't let him define the battlefield. He understands the mud better than anyone.
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@Rob Wagner
Warren seems to avoid turning trumpish, also Mayor Pete, Sanders. We don't need rabid candidates like Corey or Kristen.
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Buttigieg can do this! I think he is the only one who can!
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The squad was elected because they are racial agitators. That is their thing. Let any of them talk about any issue and it will always come back to race and oppression. They have all said ridiculously controversial comments about this country, the President, and certain ethnic groups. Ms. Omar has expressed certain views, and so have Americans. All these racial polemics appearing in the press were written long before the squad was trotted out there to push race politics. Race and identity politics is the central platform of the DNC. The DNC and their media allies have apparently sold their soul to the radicals and racial hustlers.
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@DecliningSociety, And trump is not? He began this with his ride down the escalator to announce his presidency. He has continued it since he has been in office. He started this entire row with his negative, lying comments. While some people don't like some of the things these women have said, in our country they have the right to express their beliefs. Donald trump expresses his beliefs true or not every single day. He has said much worse things about our country, our past presidents and even military hero's. He calls people , American citizens, names and berates them on a regular basis. Seldom do we hear Republicans rebuke him or in fact even acknowledge the things he says and does. Republicans have set an extremely low bar for donald trump as they want to raise the bar for everyone who does not agree with trump and Republicans. Republicans have been acting as if they and only they are right about everything as they try to shove their will down our throats. Everything you have said about Democrats can be said about Republicans.
I ask you though, what have Republicans and Donald trump REALLY done for the American people? What laws have they passed that have benefitted you? They had control of Congress for six years of Barack Obama's two terms, what did Republicans do besides say no? Think about it!
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Serious question: Should the leader of the free world be inciting mob-like behavior against U.S. representatives, even if he disagrees with their views?
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@DecliningSociety And you can't do anything to stop them. Your choice will be to let them keep raising your blood pressure every day or check out and ignore them. If you want a long and happy life, I recommend the latter. Don't worry about "America," we can take it from here.
How trump can continue to deny reality when his words and actions are memorialized on tape is mind boggling. The eternal kid and the cookies jar.
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The only reason Trump's Base and their Evangelical component give a fig about Israel is they see it as the key player in a biblical prophesy about the Apocalypse.
The only reason Congressional Republicans give a fig about Israel is their a key player in the insane architecture of the Middle East and just happen to be our well funded ally.
You can't have a discussion or reason with these people about Palestinians, or over funding Israel or any such thing.
And yes I do believe it's probably near impossible to also have a constructive conversation with he likes of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Of course all that feeds into the 6000 year old Earthers that overwhelmingly support the demagogue Trump.
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A question for Republicans: Would it be fair to characterize the chanters at Trump's rally as "a basket of deplorables"? I believe most independent voters would.
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Unlike Harry S. Truman, with Trump, the 'buck' never stops with him - unless it's going in his pocket. Trump never takes responsibility for anything.
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1.4m illegal + 1m legal immigration every year. Can US take this many immigrants every year?
Someone on democrats side should answer that. Whatever the question is, as we see here, Trump is not an answer. But he will be the only choice if no democrat can assuage the fears of a middle-class insecure American.
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@Kalyan
Of course you can accept less than 1% population growth per year.
If the economy was only growing at 0.8% you would be claiming it was a disaster.
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@Kalyan, then perhaps businesses and the American people should stop hiring the undocumented. We are at full employment. Did an immigrant take your job?
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@Kalyan...spin cycle operator on station! Work it!
May I ask you what you have done for America? May I ask you what makes you better than an immigrant based on you being told you were born here?
Ok...so ALL the "immigrants" (brown people) are gone. Whose next? Please answer!
Another thing: can't you think for yourself?
Lastly: I will take an "illegal" immigrant over 10 lazy white citizens any day. They know how to work and frankly, citizens of the US are lazy. I don't see many citizens working fields or cleaning hotel rooms. How could you live without them?
I hope you drive an American car...because I might have to send you back.
I am retired Navy, vote Democrat and am embarrassed for America and I approve this message.
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"An assertion contracted by the video?" How many of these have we had over the years with hard evidence disproving the presidential fabulism. What happens when a truly existential crisis hits the nation, as it surely will, requiring collective national support to confront resolutely, and nobody believes our naked emperor?
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I believe this is about racism but, if it's not, then what Trump is intimating is that everyone who shares the same beliefs as AOC or Omar, should leave the country as well. It that strategy works, what next?
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The NYT should show video, publish quotes, writings etc. of all prior presidencies in crisis, during national emergencies, in wartime and when welcoming all citizens to our country.
I believe we are all in the process of forgetting what a real president was and should aspire to be.
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@interested party what is the national emergency aside from we have money and opportunity and it is generally very cool to be here?
@DecliningSociety
Is it cool to watch our society decline?
Is money the gauge of a successful society?
I thought we were a little more than that.
Opportunity to do what? Isolate ourselves with all our money?
Pretty bleak.
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"If you're not happy here, you can leave, that's what I say all the time", Trump said.
Yesterday, he told us he was "not happy" with his own crowd chanting "send her back".
So ... will he now have the guts to leave and go back to Scotland, or to Croatia, or any other country where he too would be even less "happy"?
No, of course. Only when people of color aren't happy should they stop speaking out and move to places that are even worse.
His entire campaign (because that's what his presidency has been - all talk, no action, with NONE of his signature issues signed into law, and none of his campaign chants having materialized) has been built on the notion that in the US, only people agreeing with the political opinions of white old so-called "conservative" men should have the constitutional right to express their own opinions, be listened to, and be US citizens.
There's a name for this kind of conception of government: a totalitarian aristocracy.
As history has shown, the strength and greatness of a "nation" will always be measured by the extent to which its leaders have the guts to allow criticism to exist, and their willingness to engage in real, respectful debates about substance.
It's not only the GOP's systematical cultivation of racism, but also its decades old attempt to silence dissent by spreading fake news and personal insults, that are undermining the very strength of the US, and what has been one of its core values.
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Thank goodness Trump stepped in and "started speaking very quickly” after the crowd had chanted "send her back" eight times. If he had taken his time and egged them on the crowd would have gotten hoarse.
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Trump bought the kerosene, poured it all over the place, lit a match, threw it in the air.... and then disavows the resulting inferno.
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So Trump’s instincts in leading his base may be too much?? And the GOP objects, not because of content, but because they judge it to be bad strategy?? And Trump bows to their advice, employing his usual strategy of contradicting documented fact??
So much is new here! Yawn!
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@chris is correct, Trump has opened a festering wound and exposed an illness amongst those who gravitate towards their worse selves and it may take a generation to recover, if at all. There is however, something more sinsiter and troubling in the actions of Messrs. McConnell and formally Ryan, who now of course sees the virtue in walking back some of his statements now that he is trying to sell a book. The Republic party is gone, perhaps forever and replace by a kind of Mussolini led transactional regimen.
Trump knows what he says and where his actions will lead, he may have melignant naracistic tendencies but he is truely evil and will destroy our Republic just to satisfy his need for love an adulation.
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when a so called leader leads a third of the nation to believe that another third of it's citizens are thier enemies how do you think it will end? do you think trump and co will simply leave at the end of 2020 even if there is a legitimate election? do you think the racism that has always been just beneath the surface will be fought with education sympathy and eventually dissipate? or can you finally see that in less than a hundred years america became the country that americans died to fight against in WWII?
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Do these remarks by the president qualify as slander?
By all accounts, they do seem like slander - Omar should sue:
slander. n. oral defamation, in which someone tells one or more persons an untruth about another, which untruth will harm the reputation of the person defamed. Slander is a civil wrong (tort) and can be the basis for a lawsuit.
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I watched excerpts of Trump's recent rally and when he insulted each woman, he waited for the response from his audience before moving on to the next woman to insult.
At this moment, I am in tears. I am an old woman closing in on the end of her life, and I had hoped to leave knowing that my country where my ancestors came to in 1638 was in good hands, the leader of our country worthy of the office.
I did not intend to leave fearing for the future of my great-grandkids and how the policies and laws that have been changed and, if Trump gets another term, will continue to be changed that will affect them negatively.
God had better bless America. We have never needed His blessing more than right now.
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@Sajwert. I understand how you feel. My father was a Holocaust survivor. He died 12 years ago, and though I miss him terribly, I am grateful that he did not live to see this "president' and his venomous toxic rhetoric. At least he did not die in fear, re-traumatized and fearful for the safety of his children and grandchildren.
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@Sajwert
My experience matches yours in many ways, but my ancestors beat yours by 15 years. I left the country by chance many decades ago, but have never quite brought myself to break my citizenship bonds. That may change this year, though it will be ineffably sad in many ways.
The country my ancestors worked to build is unrecognizable. I can never go back where I came from, and fortunately, no one here is telling me to.
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I hear you. But we did need God’s blessing a little more in 1863
All this hand wringing by Republicans over the crowd in Greenville taking up a chant, when almost certainly the chant was started by men planted in the crowd for just this purpose. He didn't try to speak over the chant. He paused to allow it to swell.
The chant, the blowback, the domination of ANOTHER WEEK'S' news cycle by anything but Trump's penchant for underaged girls and Slavic strongmen. Entirely planned... all of it.
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