WASHINGTON (Horn post) —U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited his long-running feud with Somali-born Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, making controversial remarks suggesting that the Democratic lawmaker should be removed from the United States while launching a broader attack on immigration and election systems in the state of Minnesota.
During a press conference where Trump was primarily addressing tensions involving Iran and issues affecting American fishermen, the president unexpectedly shifted focus to Omar and criticism of Somali immigrants living in the United States.
Trump pointed to Minnesota as an example while referencing Somalia, the country of origin for many immigrants in the state, claiming that individuals from Somalia had exploited America’s immigration system.
“Look at what happened in Minnesota. Somalia. All these people are coming from Somalia. They cheated our system. There is a woman who married her brother. She came here and married her brother. Isn’t that beautiful? Trump said during the press conference.
The U.S. president then accused Omar of criticizing and lecturing America despite coming from what he described as a failed state, directly attacking Somalia’s governance institutions.
“Then she talks about the United States Constitution. She came from Somalia. Somalia has no Constitution. No police. Nothing. The only thing they have is people running around shooting each other. Then she comes here and teaches us how to run our country. I don’t like that. People don’t like that. I can tell you. I think I can speak for them,” Trump said.
Trump escalated his criticism further by describing Somalia as one of the worst countries in the world while again targeting Omar’s political role in Washington.
“Ilhan Omar. She came here and teaches us how to run America. She comes from a place that has nothing. Nothing at all. Probably one of the worst countries in the world. Then she says the U.S. Constitution protects me. It wasn’t meant to protect that. Frankly, she should be deported,” Trump declared.
The remarks immediately reignited political controversy surrounding Trump’s repeated public clashes with Omar, who has frequently criticized the president’s immigration policies, foreign policy decisions and rhetoric regarding minority communities.
Trump also expanded his criticism to Minnesota’s election system, alleging widespread corruption and accusing state officials of manipulating election outcomes against him.
It is corruption. Most of the people who came there are corruption. The whole voting system is corrupt in Minnesota. I beat Minnesota three times. Easily. I won almost every district. But they did not give it to me. It is a corrupt system. It is a very corrupt state. The governor is bad. The attorney general is bad. They are all corrupt people,” Trump said.
The latest confrontation marks another chapter in the years-long political feud between Trump and Omar, one of the most prominent Somali American politicians in the United States and a leading progressive voice within the Democratic Party.
Omar, who represents Minnesota in Congress and became one of the first Muslim women elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, has repeatedly accused Trump in previous years of using anti-immigrant rhetoric to target minority communities for political gain.
Trump’s latest remarks are expected to intensify debate in Washington over immigration policy, political polarization and accusations of discriminatory rhetoric ahead of the next major phase of the U.S. political cycle.
Prepared by:
Horn post staff
