UMVA has learned that President Trump launched into a fiery attack on Somali immigrants during a White House press conference, turning a ceremony honoring American fishermen into a blunt denunciation of people he said had “ripped off” the country’s system.
The president was signing a proclamation aimed at reopening nearly half a million square miles of Pacific waters to commercial fishing, rolling back Obama-era limits on three marine national monuments and declaring the prior rules overly burdensome for fishermen.
But when asked about the importance of hearing from everyday Americans inside the Oval Office, Trump shifted sharply from fishing policy to immigration, welfare, elections, and one of his most frequent political targets: Rep. Ilhan Omar.
“These people built the country, not the complainers,” Trump said, gesturing toward the workers and business owners gathered for the event. He argued that farmers, fishermen, and builders were the people who strengthened America, while accusing critics and immigrants of exploiting the nation.
His remarks quickly zeroed in on Minnesota’s Somali community, which he claimed had taken advantage of public benefits. “Look at what’s happened in Minnesota, Somalia,” he said. “All these people came in from Somalia; they ripped off our system.”
Trump then turned directly to Omar, repeating a long-running allegation about her marriage history and questioning her right to criticize the United States. He accused her of hypocrisy for invoking the Constitution while, in his words, coming from a country he described as lawless and broken.
“She comes in, Ilhan Omar, she comes in, she tells us how to run the United States of America,” Trump said. “She says, ‘The Constitution of the United States protects me.’ She shouldn’t be protected. She honestly, she should be thrown out of the country.”
The comments were among the president’s harshest public attacks on Omar, escalating his criticism of the Minnesota congresswoman from political disagreement to an open call for removal from the country.
Trump also attacked Minnesota’s political leadership, calling the state’s voting system corrupt and accusing the governor and attorney general of wrongdoing. He claimed he had won the state repeatedly, despite official results showing otherwise.
UMVA has uncovered details about the administration’s broader focus on Omar, with officials previously saying federal authorities were examining allegations involving her immigration history and possible citizenship fraud.
Those officials also indicated that Minnesota leaders could face scrutiny over claims that Somali immigrants committed large-scale welfare fraud and that state officials failed to act. The allegations have become part of a widening political fight over immigration, public benefits, and voting power in Minnesota.
The White House event had been framed as a victory for American fishermen seeking relief from federal restrictions. Instead, it became another volatile stage for Trump’s battle with immigrants, Democratic officials, and critics he says have failed to appreciate the country.
By the end of the press conference, the president’s message was unmistakable: he wanted to reward the workers standing beside him, punish the communities he accused of abusing the system, and keep Omar at the center of his political fight.
