The Minnesota flag controversy is all over social media. While some liberal accounts on X claimed that there is no link between the state flag and Somalia's national flag, others added that the striking resemblance cannot be ignored. In an opinion column published on Fox News, David Marcus claimed that one cannot ignore the obvious.
“Regarding the new Minnesota state flag, let's be clear about one thing: It absolutely does closely resemble the national flag of Somalia as well as several Somali regional flags. One reason we know this is the case is that, not only did people immediately notice, but left-wing media started 'debunking',” Marcus wrote in his column on Friday.
He was referring to PBS News' January 2024 report, calling the comparison a stretch.
“It's a stretch to say the final version bears much resemblance to the Somali national flag, which is a solid light blue with a white, five-pointed star right in the center. The state Democratic Party chairman issued a news release taking one GOP lawmaker to task for fueling the spread of the misinformation on social media,” PBS said back then.
Minnesota controversy
This comes days after the Trump administration increased scrutiny of childcare payments to all states following independent journalist Nick Shirley's allegations of fraud linked to daycare centers in Minnesota.
{{/usCountry}}This comes days after the Trump administration increased scrutiny of childcare payments to all states following independent journalist Nick Shirley's allegations of fraud linked to daycare centers in Minnesota.
{{/usCountry}}Trump has previously slammed Gov Tim Walz, alleging mishandling of government funds, particularly in cases involving people of Somali origin.
Jim O’Neill, the deputy secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a post on X that the US government was freezing all childcare payments to Minnesota.
“Funds will be released only when states prove they are being spent legitimately,” O’Neill said.
Trump on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, derided Walz as a “Crooked” governor. In a post that mocked US Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat of Somali origin, the president alleged that “Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia.”
“Send them back from where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth,” he added.
Walz and his team have accused Trump of needlessly politicizing the issue instead of working to address concerns.
“This is Trump’s long game,” Walz said in an X post on Tuesday. “We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue — but this has been his plan all along. He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”
(With inputs from Bloomberg)