Trump calls Ilhan Omar ‘garbage’ and makes disturbing statement about where immigrants should go, and his words have mayors furious

President Donald Trump attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar, calling her “garbage” and saying Somalis should “go back to where they came from.” Unsurprisingly, his comments have drawn angry responses from Minnesota leaders.

According to NBC News, Trump spent much of his speech criticizing Somalia and Omar, who was born there and has been in Congress since 2019. “I don’t want them in our country. I’ll be honest with you, OK,” Trump said. “Somebody will say, ‘Oh, that’s not politically correct.’ I don’t care. I don’t want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason,” 

Trump went further with his attacks, saying “her friends are garbage” too. He suggested that people who come to America and complain should leave. “When they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but complain, we don’t want them in our country,” he said. “Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”

Trump’s racist comments reveal his deep hatred for immigrant communities

Omar’s family escaped the civil war in Somalia and lived in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the U.S., where she became a citizen. She responded to Trump on X, writing: “His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.” Omar is currently running to keep her seat in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in next week’s primary election.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter called Trump’s words racist, xenophobic, and Islamophobic. He said when the president “responds with division and racism, it’s un-American and against everything we stand for.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said his city is proud to have the largest Somali population in the country.

Trump made these comments at the end of a Cabinet meeting when a reporter asked if Minnesota Governor Tim Walz should resign over Covid relief fraud. 59 people, mostly of East African descent, were convicted in fraud schemes that took over $1 billion in taxpayer money. While some believe Trump could achieve historic peace deals, his rhetoric against immigrants continues to draw criticism.

Trump used this fraud case to attack the entire Somali community, claiming “Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars, billions, every year, billions of dollars, and they contribute nothing.”

Governor Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, defended the community on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. He said the fraudsters are going to jail, and “to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few, it’s lazy.”

Walz said Trump is “demonizing an entire group of people who came here, fleeing civil war, and created a vibrant community that makes Minnesota and this country better.” Trump called Walz “a grossly incompetent man.” Trump also said his position applies to other countries, stating “I don’t want them in our country” and their country “stinks.” This aligns with his plan to ban immigration from third-world nations, which could affect America’s allies.