US President Donald Trump, at his State of the Union address, once again targeted Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, repeating his claim that “Somali pirates ransacked Minnesota” through “bribery, corruption and lawlessness”. Omar responded from the audience, calling the President a liar.
“When it comes to the corruption that is plundering America, there has been no more stunning example than Minnesota, where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated USD 19 billion from the American taxpayer,” Trump alleged.
He added, “The Somali pirates who ransack Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception. Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA”.
Omar, a Somali American lawmaker who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, responded immediately from her seat in the chamber, calling the president a “liar.”
In remarks focused on immigration and border security, Trump also argued that what he described as the consequences of “unrestricted immigration and open borders” were being felt across the United States. “Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA,” he asserted, linking his criticism directly to Omar’s home state.
The president has repeatedly singled out Omar in speeches and political messaging over the years, often criticising her policy positions and background as a refugee who came to the United States as a child.
Omar has consistently pushed back against such remarks, framing them as xenophobic and harming immigrant communities. She has also defended Minnesota’s Somali American population, one of the largest in the country, emphasising its economic and cultural contributions.
