Supporters of President Trump toned down their chants at the President’s rally in Cincinnati on Thursday evening, swapping out the racist “Send her back!” for a retro fan favorite: “Lock her up!”
The coordinated shouts came after Trump spent a few seconds raging against his former opponent Hillary Clinton, dragging her for using the word “deplorable” to describe some Trump supporters.
“Do you remember when Hillary used the word ‘deplorable’? Deplorable was not a good day for Hillary. Crooked Hillary. She is a crooked one,” he said. “She is crooked.”
The remark was met with “Lock her up!” chants, a tired refrain regularly employed at the President’s 2016 rallies that has made an appearance at multiple rallies since his election. As the crowd roared, Trump smiled and nodded along and even stopped speaking for a few seconds.
Critics were curious how Trump might react if the crowd started chanting “Send her back!” again on Thursday evening. It appears those chants didn’t happen.
The President was roundly criticized for appearing to encourage the racist shouts at his rally in North Carolina last month. The following day, Trump said he was disappointed by the chants — which were in reference to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — but later abandoned any sentiment of concern.
"Lock her up" chants after Trump brings up Hillary Clinton pic.twitter.com/zlyhmcUWEl
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 1, 2019
