Fox News Host Justifies “Send Her Back!” Chant, Likens It To A ‘Football Game’ Chant
Fox News host Jesse Watters visited the set of Fox & Friends on Thursday morning and delivered a justification for the “Send her back!” chant that Trump supporters aimed at a member of Congress during a rally for the president on Wednesday.
The crowd’s comments were directed toward Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Oman, who is a U.S. citizen but was born in Somalia.
When asked by Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade about the rally, Watters equated what was said at the Wednesday rally for the president’s re-election campaign with the things that are said at sporting events, calling politics a “tough sport,” per The Daily Beast.
Watters, who hosts Watters World on Saturdays on Fox News, and regularly appears on Fox & Friends, brushed off the chant further, claiming that Democrats have done worse to the president.
“Some Republicans chanted some things,” Watters said. “Some Democrats framed Trump for treason. I think you guys see the difference.”
As CNN notes, the chants join other chants popular at rallies for the president like “Lock her up,” directed at Trump’s 2016 rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and “Build the wall,” which supporters often chanted at 2016 rallies as part of the president’s campaign promise to build a new border wall between Mexico and the United States.
The president has taken aim at Omar and a group of three other freshman congresswomen who have been called a “squad.” The president has refused to apologize for a Sunday tweet that directed the four women to “go home” to their ancestral countries.
All representatives, sans Omar, were born in the United States. Per a report from USA Today, there are 29 members of Congress that were born outside the United States.
The House voted, mostly along party lines per a previous report from The Inquisitr, earlier in the week to condemn the President’s tweet, though some Republicans have said they believed the president’s statement was out of line.
Trump has insisted he is not racist, though he has continued to attack members of the “squad,” who are known for their progressive politics and criticism of Trump.
Many weighed in on the chant on social media. Trump’s primary challenger, Republican and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, took to Twitter to “challenge” other Republicans to look closely at the language used at the rally.
I challenge every Republican to watch @realDonaldTrump’s rally last night, complete with chants of “Send her back”, and ask if that is the Party of Lincoln and Reagan we signed up for. We are in a fight for the soul of the GOP, and silence is not an option. #AmericaDeservesBetter
— Gov. Bill Weld (@GovBillWeld) July 18, 2019
Former CNN Host and British television personality Piers Morgan said the chant was the “most sickening moment” of Trump’s time in the oval office.
Vile.
Repellent.
Shameful.
Shocking.
Disturbing.
RACIST.
My verdict on President Trump's 'SEND HER BACK!' rally last night – the most sickening moment of his presidency. https://t.co/IipNjRsI5z pic.twitter.com/cnbfv4Gxoo— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 18, 2019
In addition to the “Send her back!” chant at Trump’s Wednesday night event, rally-goers reportedly booed and shouted “traitor” and “treason” at mentions of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, who are other members of the “squad,” when the president mentioned them, per The Wall Street Journal.
