Ilhan Omar hits back at Trump’s ‘vile’ attacks, says mocking him is how Somalis cope

Ilhan Omar said Donald Trump’s rhetoric was embarrassing for the country and unworthy of a president, comparing his behavior to playground bullying
Rep Ilhan Omar pushed back after President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on her and the Somali community (Getty Images)
Rep Ilhan Omar pushed back after President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on her and the Somali community (Getty Images)


MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Rep Ilhan Omar has hit back at a fresh round of attacks from Donald Trump, after the president launched a series of remarks targeting her and the Somali community.

Speaking on a podcast, Omar described Trump’s comments as ‘vile’ and ‘creepy’, saying she and others cope by mocking him back.

Ilhan Omar dismisses Donald Trump's attacks

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 mark up meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025 in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Reacting to Trump’s comment, Omar said during a podcast, “The comments are vile. This unhealthy, creepy obsession that he has on me and the Somali community is very disturbing. Somalis are very resilient and strong people.”

When the host commented, “The troll game is amazing. The Somali troll game is A-plus,” Omar responded by saying, “We are coping with mocking them back. You don’t allow the words of a senile, deranged person have an impact on you."

"We were raised from a young age that you don’t allow police to get to you. And to us, it's just ridiculous and hard to make sense of. We feel embarrassed for him and for America. This is supposed to be the leader of our nation, and he’s acting like he is on a school yard, calling people names,” she said. “You just gotta laugh, tell him to F off, and go about your day.”

Donald Trump's attacks against Ilhan Omar



Trump, during a press conference in the Oval Office on Friday, December 12, strongly criticized Omar's contributions to national discourse.

He stated, "She comes over here, she tells the United States of America how it should be run. We don't want to hear from her. I don't want to hear from her."

He continued saying, "I just want to say that there's nothing worse than a person that comes in and does nothing but b***h and comes from a place where she shouldn't be telling us what to do, she shouldn't be telling us, and everybody agrees with me."

Earlier on Tuesday, during his speech about his administration's economic success in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump did not hold back in criticizing Ilhan Omar.

The POTUS said, "I love this Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is, with the little turban. I love her. She comes in, does nothing but b***h. She's always complaining."

"We oughtta get her the hell out!" Trump added, as the crowd yelled, "Send her back!" The president also claimed that Omar "comes from the worst country in the world," asserted she was in the US illegally from Somalia, and accused her of having "married her brother."

Trump targets Somalia, linking country to Minnesota fraud scandal

U.S. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, one of the largest manufacturers of semiconductor chips, plans to invest $100 billion in new manufacturing facilities in the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump also attacked Somalia, saying, "They have no parliament. They don’t know what the hell the word parliament means. They have nothing. They have no police. They police themselves. They kill each other all the time."

Somalia has recently been at the center of an alleged fraud scandal in Minnesota, which Trump referred to as the "great big Minnesota scam."

The US Attorney’s Office in Minnesota has charged several defendants across multiple schemes, including housing-assistance fraud, pandemic child-nutrition fraud, and millions of dollars in false billing for autism therapy.

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