President Donald Trump delivered a xenophobic tirade during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, publicly attacking the Somali immigrant community in the United States and specifically targeting Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar.
The President stated clearly that he did not want Somali immigrants in the U.S., claiming they “contribute nothing” and are too reliant on social welfare programs.
He used highly derogatory language, telling reporters, “Their country stinks,” and urging the immigrants to “go back to where they came from and fix it.”
Trump then focused his attack directly on Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who emigrated from Somalia as a child, declaring her “garbage” and warning the U.S. would “go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.”
The comments come amid reports that the administration is ramping up targeted immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, home to the country’s largest Somali diaspora, citing allegations of fraud related to federal programs.
Rep. Omar responded swiftly to the President’s remarks on social media, writing that his “obsession with me is creepy” and adding, “I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”
