Donald Trump turned remarks about Minnesota’s scenery into criticism of the state’s Somali immigrant community. The president reminisced about Minnesota’s lakes before claiming that Somali immigrants had damaged the state.
His comments came during broader criticism of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, whom Trump repeatedly targeted during the remarks.
How Donald Trump’s White House remarks turned to Minnesota and Ilhan Omar
Trump first recalled what he described as an earlier version of Minnesota. “You know I remember Minnesota in the old days, what a beautiful, beautiful, with lakes all over the place, they had more lakes than any place I’ve ever seen,” he said.
As per The New Republic, he then shifted his comments toward the state’s Somali population. “They’ve ruined a great state,” Trump said. He later added, “They’re destroying it, probably, maybe they’ve destroyed it.”
Trump did not provide evidence connecting Minnesota’s Somali community to changes involving the state’s lakes. He also expressed support for an unnamed Republican woman whom he said could make a difference if elected. The source identified Lisa Demuth as the person he was likely referring to and noted that she was running for governor against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
The president’s remarks about Minnesota lakes came during a longer attack on Omar. Trump questioned her citizenship history and said she could face deportation or jail if evidence emerged that her father had inaccurately reported her age on a citizenship application nearly three decades earlier.
Trump also called Omar a “sick” and “very dishonest person who hates our country.”
His criticism then expanded beyond Omar to Somalia and Somali immigrants living in the United States. Trump disparaged Somalia and questioned why Omar should have influence over American politics.
“She’s a disgrace to our country, and it’s amazing she can get elected, but Somalians vote for her,” Trump said, using the term quoted in the source.
Trump also claimed, without providing evidence cited in the source, that 98 percent of Somalis in the country did not work. He added, “Most of them shouldn’t be here.”
The remarks linked Trump’s criticism of Ilhan Omar with broader attacks on Somali immigrants in Minnesota and across the country.
