President Donald Trump tried to distance himself on Thursday from supporters' chants of "send her back" at a rally where he blasted Somalia-born U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, as Republicans worry the incendiary mantra could set the tone for the 2020 campaign.
Omar shot back that Trump was "spewing fascist ideology," and Republicans expressed alarm that the inflammatory chant, building off of provocative tweets and statements by Trump, might become a theme of his 2020 re-election campaign.
"We cannot be defined by this," said conservative Rep. Mark Walker, who added that Republican leaders in the House of Representatives discussed the potential political risks at a breakfast with Vice President Mike Pence.