Trump Shifts Tone, Calls Rally Crowd 'Patriots'

Earlier this week, President Trump criticized some of his own supporters for breaking out in a "send her back!" chant at a North Carolina rally. On Friday, however, the president shifted tone and said the crowd was made up of "incredible patriots," reports USA Today. Trump spoke with reporters after an Oval Office ceremony. “Those are incredible people. Those are incredible patriots,” the president said. Asked about his earlier displeasure with the chant, Trump said: "You know what I’m unhappy with? I’m unhappy with the fact that a congresswoman can hate our country. I’m unhappy with the fact that a congresswoman can say anti-Semitic things.”

As the Washington Post notes, Trump has repeatedly asserted that Omar hates America, but he has not offered evidence she has ever said that. This week, the Somalia native said, “I probably love this country more than anyone that is naturally born.” Trump also on Friday criticized the other three freshman lawmakers who, with Omar, are known as The Squad. He accused them of saying "horrible things" about the US. “I can tell you this, you can’t talk that way about our country, not when I’m the president,” he told reporters. They "can't get away with it," he said. See the White House transcript for the full comments. (Omar received a "welcome home" chant from supporters in Minnesota.)