Rep. Ilhan Omar Suggests Trump’s America is Worse Than Somalia
Rep. Ilhan Omar easily defeated her Democratic challenger, two years after she narrowly beat him. (Kerem Yücel / Associated Press)
Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, drew comparisons between her experiences growing up in Somalia and the state of the United States under President Donald Trump, during a recent appearance on the YouTube channel Democracy Now!.
In the interview, Omar criticized the Trump administration’s use of federal forces in U.S. cities and immigration enforcement policies, particularly mass deportations and the deployment of law enforcement and military personnel during protests.
“Armed men in plainclothes are snatching people off the streets, unwilling to identify themselves. You have the military being deployed in our streets,” Omar said. “My God, this is America. You have states’ rights being disregarded… the constitutional crisis that’s being created in front of our eyes.”
Referring to Trump’s plans for a military parade at the time, Omar continued, “We have a president who has deployed the military—who are trained to kill our enemies, not Americans—into our streets. I grew up in a dictatorship, and I don’t even remember witnessing anything like that.”
Ilhan Omar says that Somalia is a better country than the United Statespic.twitter.com/xmp6WUhtxW
— aka (@akafaceUS) September 14, 2025
Omar expressed concern about what she saw as the erosion of democratic norms and civil liberties in the U.S., saying the country was being transformed into one that no longer aligned with its founding ideals.
“This is not the country we were born in, this is not the country we believe in, this is not the country our founding fathers imagined, and this is not the country that is supported by our Constitution, our ideals, or our values,” she said. “We should all collectively be out in the streets rejecting what is taking place.”
Omar, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1995 as a refugee, fled Somalia with her family during the country’s civil war. At the time, Somalia was experiencing widespread violence following the collapse of its central government. Warlords and militias vied for control, leading to chaos, famine, and displacement.
The United Nations ended its peacekeeping mission in Somalia that same year after years of conflict. The country has continued to face instability and remains under travel advisories from the U.S. State Department due to ongoing violence and terrorism.
Omar’s comments reflect her continued concern with what she views as authoritarian tendencies within American politics, particularly during the Trump administration.
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