President Donald Trump continued his tirade against “The Squad” at a Wednesday rally in Greenville, N.C., thrusting the four freshmen Democratic congresswomen he’s been lobbing insults at to the forefront of the 2020 race — and reiterating his divisive statement: “If they don’t love [America], tell them to leave it.”

Many observers took particular issue with the remarks he made about Rep. Ilhan Omar.

“Rep. Omar blamed the United States for the terrorist attacks on our country,” Trump said, without citing a specific instance.

“Send her back!” his crowd chanted in response to Trump’s criticisms of Omar.

13 PHOTOSMinnesota Rep. Ilhan OmarSee GalleryMinnesota Rep. Ilhan OmarDemocratic congressional candidate the Midterm elections, Ilhan Omar, speaks to a group of volunteers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 13, 2018. – Somali-American state legislator Ilhan Omar claimed victory in her primary in Minnesota in August, putting her on track to become one of the first female Muslim members of the US House of Representatives. (Photo by Kerem YUCEL / AFP)(Photo credit should read KEREM YUCEL/AFP/Getty Images)Ilhan Omar, Democratic congressional candidate, poses for a selfie with a supporter and her son while campaigning in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 13, 2018. – Somali-American state legislator Ilhan Omar claimed victory in her primary in Minnesota in August, putting her on track to become one of the first female Muslim members of the US House of Representatives. (Photo by Kerem YUCEL / AFP)(Photo credit should read KEREM YUCEL/AFP/Getty Images)Ilhan Omar headshot, as Minnesota State Representative, graphic element on grayFILE – In this Jan. 5, 2017, file photo, new State Rep. Ilhan Omar is interviewed in her office two days after the 2017 Legislature convened in St. Paul, Minn. Omar, already the first Somali-American to be elected to a state legislature, is jumping into a crowded race for a Minnesota congressional seat. Omar filed Tuesday, June 5, 2018, for the Minneapolis-area seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)FILE – In this Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 file photo, State Rep. Ilhan Omar takes the oath of office as the 2017 legislature convened in St. Paul, Minn. Omar, a Muslim, is the nation’s first Somali-American to be elected to a state legislature. Religion’s role in politics and social policies is in the spotlight heading toward the midterm elections, yet relatively few Americans consider it crucial that a candidate be devoutly religious or share their religious beliefs, according to an AP-NORC national poll conducted Aug. 16-20, 2018. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, left, laughs while speaking with an attendee during the Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) Party endorsement convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., on Sunday, June 17, 2018. The DFL will endorse a primary candidate for the seat of Representative Keith Ellison, a democrat from Minnesota, as he runs for state attorney general. Photographer: Emilie Richardson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMinnesota Representative Ilhan Omar speaks during the Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) Party endorsement convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., on Sunday, June 17, 2018. The DFL will endorse a primary candidate for the seat of Representative Keith Ellison, a democrat from Minnesota, as he runs for state attorney general. Photographer: Emilie Richardson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY – APRIL 21:Ilhan Omar attends the premiere of ‘Time For Ilhan’ during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival at Cinepolis Chelsea on April 21, 2018 in New York City.(Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)In this Aug. 16, 2018 photo, Democrat Ilhan Omar, the nation’s first Somali-American legislator who won her party’s congressional primary in the race, talks during an interview at Peace Coffee in Minneapolis. Just two years ago, the Minnesota Democrat became the first Somali-American elected to a state legislature. Now she’s likely to become one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen)NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 21:Amal Sabrie, Isra Hirsi, Ilhan Omar, Ilwad Hirsi, Ahmed Hirsi, Adnan Hirsi attend the premiere of ‘Time For Ilhan’ during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival at Cinepolis Chelsea on April 21, 2018 in New York City.(Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)Ilhan Omar, candidate for State Representative for District 60B in Minnesota, arrives for her victory party on election night, November 8, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Omar, a refugee from Somalia, is the first Somali-American Muslim woman to hold public office. / AFP / STEPHEN MATUREN(Photo credit should read STEPHEN MATUREN/AFP/Getty Images)UNITED STATES – FEBRUARY 07: Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., attends a rally on the East Front of the Capitol with groups including United We Dream, calling on Congress to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Thursday, February 7, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)UNITED STATES – FEBRUARY 13: Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., attends a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in Rayburn Building titled ‘Venezuela at a Crossroads,’ on Wednesday, February 13, 2019. Elliott Abrams, U.S. special representative for Venezuela, testified. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)Up Next

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Within hours, #IStandWithIlhan was trending on Twitter, with public figures and fellow politicians weighing in.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), a 2020 presidential candidate, quickly condemned Trumps words “and the very hatred and racism that fuels him.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also a 2020 candidate, called for impeachment proceedings to begin, and also targeted “complicit Republicans everywhere.”

Also harshly condemning the president was 2020 candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who tweeted, “It’s time to get Trump out of office and unite the country.”

Fellow Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke said the chants were “the product of a president who sees our diversity not as a strength but as a weakness.”

Musician Cardi B. quoted Beyonce when posting in support of Omar on Instagram, sharing a photo and writing, “You know you that b**** when you cause all this conversation.”

View this post on Instagram

You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation ??‍♀️

A post shared byMOSTHATEDCARDI (@iamcardib) on Jul 17, 2019 at 7:01pm PDT

Mansoor Shams, a Pakistani immigrant who is an advocate for Muslims in the U.S. and a former U.S. Marine, posted several tweets condemning the president. He wrote, “To Ilhan & others being scapegoated: this US Marine has your back!”

Actress Piper Perabo, meanwhile, shared support and a photo, writing, “She is a good mother, citizen, friend and an important member of Congress.”

And a woman from Minnesota shared a story about being with Rep. Omar the first time she received a death threat in the mail.

Omar herself responded on Wednesday night, quoting the poet Maya Angelou.

Trump kicked off this latest firestorm Sunday morning in a series of tweets, widely condemned as racist, telling the four congresswomen of color to “go back” to the “crime infested places from which they came.”

All four lawmakers are U.S. citizens, and three of the four were born in the U.S.

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