Donald Trump claims he tried to stop 'send her back' chants by 'speaking very quickly'
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US politicians have voiced disgust and alarm after a rally crowd responded to Donald Trump’s racist attacks on congresswoman Ilhan Omar with chants of “send her back”.
Democrats warned the president was “fuelling and feeding off hate” and “stoking the most despicable and disturbing currents in our society” by vilifying Ms Omar, a Somali refugee who arrived in the US as a child nearly three decades ago.
Senator Bernie Sanders said Mr Trump was “the most dangerous president in the history of our country,” while fellow 2020 election hopeful Elizabeth Warren called for him to face impeachment.
On Thursday, the president chided his supporters who chanted the statement at the rally, joining widespread criticism of the campaign crowd’s cry after fellow Republicans warned it could hurt the GOP in next year’s elections.
In a week that has corkscrewed daily with hostile exchanges over race and love of country, Mr Trump also claimed he had tried to stop the chant at a reelection event Wednesday night in North Carolina.
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“I started speaking really quickly,” he told reporters. “I was not happy with it. I disagree with it.”
However, video shows the crowd’s “send her back” shouts resounded for 13 seconds as Mr Trump made no attempt to interrupt them. He paused in his speech and surveyed the scene, taking in the uproar.
Ms Omar responded on Thursday, telling reporters: “This is what this president and his supporters have turned our country” into, she said as she walked outside the US Capitol.
“This is not about me," she added. "This is about fighting about what this country truly should be and what it deserves to be.”
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The majority of Americans think Donald Trump’s recent tweets attacking four Democratic congresswomen of colour are racist and un-American, a poll has found.
It comes after a separate poll found the US president’s approval rating rose among Republicans after the US president told the congresswomen to “go back” to where they came from.
While Mr Trump did not name the targets of his attack, the context of his tweet made it clear it was aimed at a group of four progressive Democratic women of colour – Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley.
Trump administration plans to roll back safety inspections at nuclear power plants risk “disaster”, according to Democrats who said they were “disturbed” by the proposals.
Regulators’ plans have also included fewer mock raids to test power stations’ defences against terrorists and less notice for nearby residents when problems arise.
The money-saving cuts had been sought by the US nuclear industry and have either been approved or are pending approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), largely with little input from the general public.
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