Minnesota Governor Critiques Trump’s Comments on Somali Community
On Thursday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) openly criticized President Donald Trump after he referred to the Somali community in the state as “trash.” Walz deemed Trump’s remarks as “unprecedented for a U.S. president.”
“The little kids who were labeled as trash by the president are going to school today,” he said, highlighting the impact of such hurtful language.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the U.S., with around 84,000 individuals residing mainly in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Notably, nearly 60% of these Somalis were born in the United States, and about 87% of those born abroad are naturalized citizens.
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Trump’s critical rhetoric towards Somalis has escalated recently, particularly following allegations from City Journal — a conservative news outlet — suggesting that taxpayer funds meant for government programs were being misappropriated to support the al-Shabaab group, which has ties to al-Qaeda.
The alleged orchestrator of this scheme is not a Somali individual, yet many from the Somali community are reportedly implicated.
During the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump labeled Minnesota a “center for illicit money laundering,” also expressing intentions to revoke Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the state. In a Cabinet meeting, he stated he does not wish for Somali immigrants to stay in the U.S.
“We can go in either direction, but if we continue to bring garbage into our country, we will be going in the wrong direction,” he commented. Further, during that meeting, he referred to Somali-born Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) as “trash” and criticized the state of Somalia.
Just a day later, Trump described Minnesota as having turned into “hell” due to the Somali community, insisting, “Somali people should get out of here. They destroyed our country.”
The administration has initiated an immigration crackdown targeting the Somali population in Minnesota.
Governor Walz remarked on the harmful nature of Trump’s comments, stating that demonizing a whole group based on race or ethnicity—those who enrich the state economically and culturally—was something they had hoped to avoid. “This is in addition to all the other mean comments,” he added during a press briefing on the state budget.
While Republican legislative leaders have hesitated to openly condemn Trump’s remarks, some acknowledged that he might have gone too far. They contended that the issues wouldn’t have surfaced if Walz had taken stronger measures to mitigate welfare fraud.
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Meanwhile, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican candidate for governor and a supporter of Trump, expressed her nuanced view. “I don’t believe any community is all bad, just as I don’t believe any community is all good. We need to ensure that those committing fraud across all communities are held accountable here in Minnesota,” she stated.
Similarly, Republican state Senator Eric Pratt, running for a House seat left vacant by Democratic Representative Angie Craig, chose not to defend Trump’s comments but recognized the frustration surrounding fraudulent activities in the state.
Trump and Walz have often exchanged disparaging remarks, with Trump labeling Walz as “incompetent” and “messed up” while Walz has called Trump a “wannabe dictator” and “evil human being,” stating that his administration’s ICE operates like a “modern-day Gestapo.”
