Trump Doubles Down on Attacks Against Ilhan Omar and African Immigrants
US President Calls Congresswoman ‘Garbage’ and Somalia ‘Filthy’ at Rally; Democrats Condemn Rhetoric as Dangerous and Divisive
Trump Intensifies Personal Attacks on Ilhan Omar
U.S. President Donald Trump has drawn widespread condemnation from Democratic leaders and civil rights groups following a series of rallies and public addresses in which he significantly escalated his rhetoric against Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and the Somali-American community. Speaking to supporters in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump repeatedly targeted Omar, a naturalized U.S. citizen and refugee from Somalia, calling her “garbage” and stating she “does nothing but bitch.”
He went further, explicitly encouraging the crowd as they chanted “send her back,” an echo of his past rally chants. Trump revived unproven claims about the Minnesota representative’s immigration history and questioned her fundamental right to remain in the United States. Omar, who has often faced death threats following the President’s public attacks, hit back, describing Trump’s fixation on her as “creepy and unhealthy” and accusing him of resorting to bigotry to deflect attention from his administration’s failing economic policies.
Demonizing African Nations and Immigration Freeze
Beyond the personal attacks, the President used the platform to renew and intensify his inflammatory rhetoric against African nations and non-European immigration. Trump spoke of implementing a “permanent pause” on immigration from what he described as “third-world countries” and “hellholes” like Somalia and Haiti.
In a move that confirmed years of controversial reporting, Trump openly acknowledged and then laughed about using the derogatory term “shithole countries” to describe African nations and Haiti during a past White House meeting. He then compounded the insult by describing Somalia as “filthy,” “dirty,” “disgusting,” and “ridden with crime,” questioning why the US accepts immigrants from such places instead of countries like Norway or Sweden. This sweeping generalization and dehumanizing language against an entire community—the majority of whom are law-abiding U.S. citizens or legal residents—immediately triggered international outrage.
Policy and Political Ramifications
The President’s tirade follows his administration’s recent decision to halt and re-examine immigration applications for migrants from dozens of predominantly non-European nations. The rhetoric is seen by critics as a deliberate strategy to stoke racial and xenophobic sentiments among his political base amidst intensifying scrutiny of his domestic policies and a growing affordability crisis for American consumers.
Democratic leaders and civil rights organizations have warned that the President’s use of phrases like “garbage” creates a dangerous climate for the Somali-American community, the largest concentration of which resides in Omar’s district in Minnesota. Congresswoman Omar herself emphasized that the President’s “hateful rhetoric” has tangible, real-world consequences, noting that threats against her and her community consistently spike following his public addresses. The latest statements ensure that immigration and racial rhetoric will remain central flashpoints in the national political debate heading into 2026.