Woman reportedly told shopper in Va. store: ‘I wish they didn’t let you in the country’
WASHINGTON (WJLA) – A woman appears to tell a fellow shopper, “I wish they didn’t let you in the country,” in a video that is being shared online across multiple platforms.
According to the social media accounts of comedian Jeremy McLellan, his female friend, who he says is Muslim, was in a Trader Joe’s in Reston, Virginia on Saturday. In a Facebook post, McLellan says his friend let the woman cut in line ahead of her.
McLellan says the woman then asked his friend why she was not wearing something similar. McLellan then says the woman started talking about female genital mutilation.
McLellan said in his post that his friend wishes to remain anonymous at this time.
In the video, McLellan’s friend says she should not have let the woman in front of her.
“I wish they didn’t let you in the country,” the woman then says.
McLellan’s friend then says that she was born in the United States.
“Oh, you were?” the woman responds.
“Obama’s not in office anymore,” the woman says after a brief pause. “You don’t have a Muslim in there anymore.”
McLellan’s friend then says she wished Obama were still president.
“He’s gone. He’s gone,” the woman continued. “He may be in jail, too, in the future.”
McLellan’s friend can then be heard saying the woman looked “a little crazy” and suggested the woman might need to get some help.
The woman told McLellan’s friend that she was fine.
“No, you’re not,” McLellan’s friend says. “Because you don’t just strike up a conversation with people in line talking about stuff like that if you’re normal.”
The woman says that she is normal, then later asks, “What set you off? Obama?”
McLellan says he wants the video to spread.
Yashar Ali, a writer for New York Magazine and The Daily Beast also shared the video on his Twitter page.
Authorities have not released a statement on the incident at this time. ABC7 News reached out to a Trader Joe’s in Reston but the manager there said he could not confirm that it was the same store in the video.