Donald Trump used a Pennsylvania rally billed as an “Affordability” event to unleash a series of inflammatory remarks about immigrants and Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, prompting supporters to revive the 2019 “send her back” chant that became one of the most notorious moments of his first term.
While casting himself as the candidate best able to fix the economy, Trump folded affordability issues into a broader hardline immigration pitch, mocking Omar, repeating false claims about her citizenship and openly embracing his previously denied remark about “shithole countries.”
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump used his Pennsylvania Affordability Rally on Tuesday — an event billed as a pitch to voters concerned about rising prices — to revive some of his most incendiary attacks on immigrants and on Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar. His comments, which echoed language that had triggered one of the most widely condemned chants of his 2019 campaign, again prompted the crowd to shout “send her back,” extending a years-long political and cultural flashpoint over race, identity and belonging in the United States.
At a moment when Trump is seeking to frame the 2026 midterm climate around affordability concerns, he steered repeatedly into hardline immigration themes — connecting the economy, border security and demographic change in ways that have defined his campaign rhetoric since 2016.
What To Know
During the rally, Trump mocked Omar by saying: “Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is. With her little turban. I love her. She comes in, does nothing but bitch … we ought to get her the hell out … she’s here illegally.” The crowd then broke into chants of “send her back!” — a reprise of the chant that erupted at his Greenville, North Carolina, rally in 2019.
Omar responded sharply in a post on X: “Trump’s obsession with me is beyond weird. He needs serious help. Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead. He continues to be a national embarrassment.”
Trump’s attack on Omar came as he broadened his message on immigration. During the speech he recounted —approvingly — his 2018 Oval Office remark in which he referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries,” a comment he previously denied making.
Trump revived the line after a rallygoer shouted it out, leading him to say: “We had a meeting and I said, ‘Why is it we only take people from shithole countries… Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden?’”
He then disparaged Somalia as “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime,” while boasting that he had last week “announced a permanent pause on Third World migration, including from hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and many other countries.”
These new comments came alongside Trump’s claims that immigration is a central driver of economic strain.
He told supporters that “25 million people came into our country, totally unchecked and unvetted,” tying illegal immigration to inflation – an argument he has made repeatedly. Trump also praised North Korea’s frontier as “one of the strongest borders anywhere in the world,” describing a barrier of “seven walls of wire”.
What People Are Saying
Medhi Hasan, CEO of Zeteo News on X: “We had multiple news cycles in his first term where Republicans fell over themselves to swear, to deny, that he had ever said the phrase ‘shithole country’. And he just comes out and… says it out loud. A reminder that second term Trump is so much worse than first term Trump.”
Jim Acosta, former CNN Chief White House Correspondent: “At his event in PA, Trump admits he said something he tried to deny back in 2018 about “shithole countries.” I pressed him on whether he just wanted immigrants from predominantly white or Caucasian countries and he ordered me “out” of the Oval Office. Back then he said publicly he wanted immigrants from “everywhere.” That was a lie.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s renewed rhetoric on Omar, immigration and “shithole countries” is likely to intensify scrutiny of his campaign message as he seeks to tie affordability concerns to border and demographic issues. After the similar 2019 chant, Newsweek reported that Trump faced days of questions about whether he endorsed the crowd’s response — ultimately saying he was “not happy with it,” even as critics accused him of inciting it.
With Omar again accusing him of relying on “bigoted lies” rather than offering policy answers on affordability and the cost of living, the Pennsylvania rally may shape both parties’ next moves.
Trump is expected to continue leaning hard into immigration as an economic argument, while Democrats are likely to spotlight his comments as evidence that he is reviving language that sparked global outrage during his first term, now with even greater intensity.
