Trump Lashes Out at Somali Immigrants ‘Your country stinks,’ he says

President Trump sharply criticized Somali immigrants on Tuesday, using harsh language during remarks at the close of a White House cabinet meeting, according to the New York Times. Escalating his recent rhetoric on immigration, Trump claimed that Somali newcomers “do nothing but complain” and said the United States “doesn’t want them in our country.” He described people from Somalia as coming “from hell” and suggested they should “go back and fix” the problems in their home country.

“Their country is no good for a reason,” Trump said, adding, “Your country stinks and we don’t want them in our country.” The Times reported that Vice President JD Vance struck the table in apparent agreement as the president spoke.

Trump also singled out Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who immigrated from Somalia as a refugee and became a U.S. citizen 25 years ago. He dismissed Omar and her allies as “garbage” and questioned their contributions to the country. “These aren’t people who work,” he said. “These aren’t people who say, ‘Let’s make this place great.’”

Omar responded on X, calling Trump’s focus on her “creepy” and saying she hopes he gets “the help he desperately needs.”

The president’s comments come amid a broader wave of attacks on Somali immigrant communities, particularly in Minnesota. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back Tuesday, noting that Somali Americans play a significant role in the city’s business community and cultural life. “To villainize an entire group is ridiculous under any circumstances,” Frey said, according to the Washington Post. He added that Trump’s pattern of remarks undermines “the moral fabric of what we stand by in this country as Americans.”