President Donald Trump is claiming that he does not agree with his supporters’ decision to chant “send her back” during a campaign rally in North Carolina in reference to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn).
Speaking from the White House a day after the rally in Greenville, Trump fielded a question by a reporter, claiming that he tried to stop the chant, even though, you know, video evidence exists.
“I started speaking very quickly,” Trump said when asked why he didn’t stop the chanting. “I disagree with it by the way. It was quite a chant. I felt a little bit badly about it.”
When asked if he’d specifically ask his supporters not to say such a thing, he responded, “I was not happy with it. I disagree with it, but again I didn’t say that, they did. But I disagree with it.”
However, despite Trump’s claim, video footage shows the president, standing silent as the crowd’s racist, raucous chants went on for at least a full 10 seconds of footage.
When he finally started speaking again, the chants had all but died down on their own accord.