Sarah Wasko / Media Matters

Following bipartisan criticism of attendees chanting “send her back” after President Donald Trump renewed attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) during his July 17 rally, Trump dishonestly claimed today he “was not happy with it. I disagree with it,” also saying he “started speaking very quickly” once the chant began in an attempt to stop it. Multiple mainstream news organizations tweeted out Trump’s claim of disavowal without sufficient context showing his insincerity.

As Trump’s remarks were being reported, CNN reporter Daniel Dale explained that Trump wasn’t being truthful, as he had taken a long pause before he began speaking again.

He went silent for more than 13 seconds to let the chants proceed, then kept attacking Omar without rejecting the chants in any way. https://t.co/VLnXWTr6tQ

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 18, 2019

And some media outlets debunked portions of Trump’s excuses or pointed out that his supporters’ chant reflected his own words:

Pres. Trump says people who chanted “send her back” at his rally “are people that love our country,” but “I'm not happy when I hear a chant like that;” he adds that the congresswomen have an obligation to love the US.



The congresswomen have repeatedly said they love the US. pic.twitter.com/DNuurSavsi

— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 18, 2019

Trump claims he’s “not happy” about “send her back” chant based off his own words https://t.co/WW2x39sJYO

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) July 18, 2019

Reality check: Trump claimed that he “started speaking very quickly” to cut off the racist chant once it began, but video shows that he let the crowd continue for about 13 seconds. https://t.co/lcKdKguGnf

— Axios (@axios) July 18, 2019

NEW: President Trump claims he disavows “send her back” chant, despite remaining silent and starting racist attacks https://t.co/ZSnyinovXt pic.twitter.com/7SMLLAdcwC

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 18, 2019

But many other news organizations published tweets that repeated Trump’s dishonest disavowal without critique:

Question: “So you'll tell your supporters never to say [”Send her back"] again?"



President Trump: “I was not happy with it. I disagree with it. But again, I didn't say -- I didn't say that, they did.” pic.twitter.com/wsJ2kNRO0r

— The Hill (@thehill) July 18, 2019

Reporter on 'send her back' chants: Why did they do it?

Trump: You'd have to ask them



R: Will you stop them if they try to do it again?

T: Well, I didn't like that they did it. And I started speaking very quickly. I could have stood back.. https://t.co/Ae5eR3VWhw pic.twitter.com/HfQTL02rIQ

— POLITICO (@politico) July 18, 2019

“It was quite a chant and I felt a little bit badly about it... I disagree with it, but, again, I didn't say that, they did,” Pres. @realDonaldTrump says about his supporters chanting “send her back” to Rep. @IlhanMN at his rally last night. pic.twitter.com/HTqxvAtfqc

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 18, 2019

JUST IN: President Trump breaks with his Greenville, N.C., supporters on “send her back” chant: “I was not happy with it. I disagree with it.” https://t.co/Sxv7RmQeKK

— Roll Call (@rollcall) July 18, 2019

NEW: Asked by @jonkarl about “send her back” chants, Pres. Trump says, “I disagree with it, by the way, but it was quite a chant and I felt a little bit badly about it.”



“I was not happy with it, I disagree with it...I didn't say that, they did.” https://t.co/iYmprzacJR pic.twitter.com/AwxamAIP7G

— ABC News (@ABC) July 18, 2019

NEW: One day after his supporters chanted “send her back” in reference to Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia as a child, President Trump says he disavows the chant.



"I was not happy with it, I disagree with it, Trump said.

— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) July 18, 2019

President Donald Trump says he “was not happy” when his supporters at a rally Wednesday night in North Carolina chanted “send her back” in reference to Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. https://t.co/uB5I3aFjOG

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) July 18, 2019

“I was not happy with it. I disagree with it,” President Trump says of “send her back” chant from crowd at his campaign rally last night.https://t.co/vSjpXaTYc7

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 18, 2019

President Trump said he disagreed with supporters’ “send her back” chants during his political rally https://t.co/upGlA8Su4W

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 18, 2019