Former Trump Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski Blasted for ‘Womp Womp’ Comment About Migrant Child With Down Syndrome

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was blasted on national TV and social media after dismissing the separation of an immigrant child with Down syndrome from her mother with a sarcastic, “Womp womp.”

Lewandowski appeared on Fox News Channel on Tuesday to discuss President Donald Trump‘s controversial hard-line immigration policy that separates migrant children from parents charged with illegally entering the country.

Democratic strategist Zac Petkanas mentioned a story from a Mexican official who said one of those separated children was a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome to Lewandowski, who responded with, “Womp womp.”

“Did you just say, ‘Womp womp’ to a 10-year-old with Down syndrome being taken from her mother?” Petkanas asked Lewandowski, who tried to defend his statement.

“What I said is you can pick anything you want … but the bottom line is very clear: When you cross the border illegally, you have given up the rights of this country,” Lewandowski said while Petkanas was saying, “How dare you. How dare you. How absolutely dare you, sir.”

A clip of the exchange shared by BuzzFeed News Los Angeles Bureau Chief Jon Passantino gained traction on Twitter, with many calling Lewandowski “horrifying.”

“Corey L. is horrifying,” one person wrote.

“Horrific,” wrote another. “Please americans do something.”

“Let’s file away ‘Womp, Womp’ when they are hauling Cory [sic] off to jail,” someone wrote, responding to a different tweet about the exchange.

“*Womp Womp* will be Corey Lewandowski’s epitaph,” another wrote, adding a hashtag for the word “monster.”

“Corey Lewandowski is a giant, rabid weasel someone trained to wear a suit,” another user wrote.

On Wednesday morning, when asked on Fox News if he’d like to apologize, Lewandowski doubled down on his statement, asking, “An apology? I owe an apology to the children whose parents are putting them in a position that is forcing them to be separated?”

“My comment was specifically about Zac [Petkanas] trying to politicize the use of children as a political football in this discussion,” he replied, in part.

“Let’s not make this about politicizing children. Let’s make this about the rules and the laws. Congress has the ability to change that,” he added later.

He went on to argue that his “Womp womp” comment was mocking Petkanas and not the young girl. He argued earlier in the day on Twitter that Petkanas “attempted to politicize children as opposed to discussing the real issue which is fixing a broken immigration system.”

The House and Senate are both working toward legislation that would end the separation policy, though it’s unclear what replacement legislation would emerge from Congress. The House is expected to vote Thursday on two broad immigration bills, each of which would address the issue. It’s unclear if either have the votes to pass. The Senate has discussed a narrower bill.

However, legislation is not necessarily the only thing able to end the policy, as it is just that — a policy. President Trump could do so on his own.