Ilhan Omar hits back at Trump, condemns his ‘hateful rhetoric’

WASHINGTON, Jan 21 — U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar on Tuesday sharply rebuked President Donald Trump over remarks targeting her and Minnesota’s Somali American community, saying his comments were rooted in hatred and aimed at deflecting attention from what she described as failures by his administration.

Omar, a Democrat who represents a Minneapolis-area district and was born in Somalia, said Trump’s rhetoric amounted to “hatred, xenophobia and Islamophobia,” and accused him of deliberately stoking division rather than addressing policy challenges facing the country.

Speaking in a television interview, Omar described the president’s language as “completely disgusting,” arguing that it unfairly targets an entire community. “These are Americans,” she said, warning that dehumanising language could fuel hostility and violence.

She rejected broad claims linking Somali Americans to fraud cases in Minnesota, stressing that any criminal wrongdoing should be handled on an individual basis and not used to stigmatise a whole group. Omar noted that Somali Americans are taxpayers and play a significant role in the state’s economy.

In a statement, Omar said Trump was relying on “false and inflammatory rhetoric” to distract from shortcomings in his own record, rather than engaging in substantive debate. She added that Minnesota’s Somali community was resilient and could not be intimidated by unfounded accusations.

Trump’s recent remarks, which included derogatory descriptions of Somalis and calls for tougher immigration enforcement, have drawn criticism from Democrats and some civil rights groups, and have intensified debate over immigration and identity politics as the 2026 U.S. election cycle approaches.

The exchange underscores broader political and cultural divisions in the United States over race, immigration and national identity.

GAROWE ONLINE