Trump rally Wednesday: Amid support chants of "send her back," Trump's attacks on congresswomen of color energize his supporters: "Just a bag of idiots" - CBS News

Last Updated Jul 18, 2019 9:24 AM EDT

President Trump took his attacks on four Democratic lawmakers to a raucous campaign rally in North Carolina where his supporters chanted "send her back," echoing the president's racist tweet that the four women of color should "go back" to the countries they came from. The rally, in a state President Trump narrowly won in 2016, was a chance to test how his controversial approach is resonating with supporters. They were with him all the way.

"I like it because it seems to work," Michael Huff said before attending the rally. "You see all these people out here, I mean, he's got a lot of following."

"Everything is so freakin' touchy with all of them. They have no sense of humor. They have no common sense. I'm sorry. Just a bag of idiots," said another supporter of the president.

The president's supporters in North Carolina turned his racist tweet into a rallying cry after an extended attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar.

"She looks down with contempt on the hardworking Americans saying that ignorance is pervasive in many parts of this country," Mr. Trump said at the rally. "Omar has a history of launching vicious anti-Semitic screeds."

"The Squad" interview: Gayle King's full conversation with AOC, Omar, Pressley & Tlaib

Omar responded to the president's attacks and the crowd's chants in a series of tweets. She quoted poet Maya Angelou saying, "You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise." In an exclusive interview with Gayle King this week, Omar addressed past comments that some have criticized as anti-Semitic, saying she is not anti-Semitic and insisting her remarks were not meant for that purpose.

The president has kept up his attacks on all four of the liberal freshman lawmakers, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, together known as "The Squad." Mr. Trump is highlighting them in an effort to make them the faces of the Democratic Party ahead of 2020.

"Cortez, somebody said that's not her name … I don't have time to go with three different names, we'll call her Cortez," Mr. Trump said. "These congresswomen, their comments, are helping fuel the rise of a dangerous militant hard left."

2020 hopefuls rallied behind Rep. Omar on Twitter last night, but Trump supporters at the rally said they believe if Democrats keep focusing on this feud, they will help propel the president to victory in 2020.

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