Fact Check: Is Trump’s claim during SOTU speech that Somalis in Minnesota stole $19 billion true?

Trump made a mention of Minnesota to draw attention to his plan to combat financial fraud

BY SAURAV SURESH

PUBLISHED FEB 26, 2026

Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Donald Trump spoke about the Minnesota Somali fraud, claiming that members of the Somali community in the state stole billions from the American taxpayers' money. The claim has prompted outrage and speculation among many. Let us fact-check the president’s claim.

Claim: Somali community stole $19 billion, according to Donald Trump

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 24: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC. Trump delivered his address days after the Supreme Court struck down the administration's tariff strategy and amid a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf threatening Iran. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) — President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

On Tuesday night, President Trump, during his State of the Union address, made mention of Minnesota to draw attention to his plan to combat financial fraud within government programs.

Vice President JD Vance will lead the 'war on fraud,' Trump said in his speech, while touting his administration’s targeting of alleged Medicaid fraud in Democratic-led states such as Minnesota.

“When it comes to the corruption that is plundering, it really is plundering, America, there’s been no more stunning example than Minnesota, where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer,” the president told his primetime national audience.

“We have all the information, and in actuality, the number is much higher than that.”

Fact Check: Donald Trump's claim is unsupported by evidence

DOJ building (Getty Images) — The president's $19 billion estimate is substantially higher than the Department of Justice's estimate of $250 million (Getty Images)

The president's $19 billion estimate is substantially higher than the Department of Justice's estimates of $250 million and is unsupported by any evidence.

Former federal prosecutor Joe Thompson said in December that half or more of the $18 billion in federal funds billed by Medicare services in Minnesota might be fraudulent.

Thompson, who resigned in January amid tension with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement in the state, called the $9 billion figure, half of $18 billion, an early estimate rather than a firm number.

While most of those charged or convicted are Somalis, the alleged leader of the fraud scheme is a white woman named Aimee Bock, who is currently awaiting sentencing.

Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib confront Trump's Somali community remark

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a mark up meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of the Budget Committee met to consider House Republicans’ reconciliation bill, which includes U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed tax and spending cuts. The bill faced bipartisan opposition, with five Republican members of the House Budget Committee voting against it and supporting a motion for the committee to recess for the weekend. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) — Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a markup meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025, in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

A confrontation started during the President's Tuesday address, when Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) openly objected to his remarks about Minnesota, specifically challenging his description of the state's Somali community as "pirates."

Additionally, they accused the President of enabling the deaths of United States citizens through his administration's intensified immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

Trump retorted that such behavior "can only damage the United States of America" and that the lawmakers "can do nothing to help it."

"We should send them back from where they came — as fast as possible," the President wrote, echoing language he previously used to criticize progressive congresswomen during his first term.