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Trump vs Ilhan Omar heats up; POTUS asks lawmaker to go back to Somalia after ‘garbage’ remark
A controversial Cabinet-meeting rant by Trump, calling Somali immigrants “garbage” and telling them to “go back” has provoked fresh backlash.
President Trump launched a scathing attack on Somali immigrants and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar at a White House Cabinet meeting on December 2. Trump branded Somali immigrants, including Congressman Ilhan Omar, as “garbage,” stating that they should “go back to where they came from.”
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Trump's incendiary remarks
The outburst appears to have been linked with increased anti-immigrant sentiments amid the administration’s recent immigration campaign.
According to The New York Times, areas such as the Minneapolis-St Paul metro area, where most Somalis reside, are to see an increased deportation effort this week. The increase is set to focus primarily on Somalis who have final deportation orders.
The cabinet meeting discussion leading with the matter became the stage for President Trump to make “racist” remarks against the immigrant group.
In effect, the President's remarks disparaged an entire Somali-American community in addition to criticizing Omar, an immigrant congresswoman who was born in the United States.
In the video, Trump is seen mocking Rep. Omar for asking for her constitutional rights, and asking her to “go back to your country and figure out your own constitution.” Trump is also heard explicitly calling Omar and the Somali community “garbage.”\
“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you,” he said. He added, “We’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country”.
On X, Omar responded to Trump's remarks, calling Trump’s obsession with her “creepy” and predicting she would remain politically active for far longer than him. She also writes about the allegations of marrying her brother from a Trumplican, saying, “I didn’t, but is your President a pedophile?”
She stands beside her community and says that they will not be intimidated and are here to stay.
We are not, and I am not, someone to be intimidated, and we are not gonna be scapegoated. We are here — we are here to stay,” Omar said.
Political and Community backlash
According to The Guardian, local and national officials criticised Trump’s comments. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, from a city with a large Somali-American population, called the remarks “wrong,” warning that such statements risk violating civil-rights protections and sowing fear among legal residents.
Major civil-rights and immigrant-rights organisations, as well as some fellow lawmakers, described the President’s language as xenophobic and demeaning. The View noted that leaders across party and community lines condemned the blanket targeting of Somali immigrants as “hateful, racist language” unbecoming of the presidency.
For her part, Omar used the moment to reaffirm her role in U.S. politics, rejecting calls for her deportation and vowing to continue representing her constituents.
