By Dawan Africa - Reporter
United States, 3 December 2025 - U.S. President Donald Trump is facing widespread condemnation after he made a series of inflammatory and derogatory comments about Minnesota’s Somali community on Tuesday.
Speaking at the tail-end of a cabinet meeting at the White House, Mr Trump accused Somali immigrants of exploiting state resources, saying:
“Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars. Billions. Every year. And they contribute nothing. The welfare is like 88 per cent. They contribute nothing.”
He went on to describe Somalia in disparaging terms, adding:
“Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks and we don’t want them in our country.”
Warning that the United States was “at a tipping point,” Mr Trump claimed the country would “go the wrong way” if it continued admitting what he described as “garbage".
He also launched a personal attack on Somali-American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, saying:
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“Ilhan Omar is garbage. She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage.”
The remarks were met with immediate criticism from civil rights groups, Democratic lawmakers, and community organisations, who described the comments as racist and dangerous.
Advocacy groups said the language risked fuelling anti-immigrant sentiment and undermining the safety of Somali communities in Minnesota and across the United States.
Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali diasporas in the world, with tens of thousands of Somali-Americans contributing to the state’s workforce, economy and public life.
Congresswoman Omar, who arrived in the US as a refugee, has previously been the target of similar rhetoric from Mr Trump.
Mr Trump’s supporters defended the comments as part of his broader stance on immigration, which remains a central theme of his political messaging.
The latest controversy comes as the national debate over migration intensifies ahead of the next election cycle, with both major political parties sharply divided over border policy, refugee admissions, and the role of immigrant communities in American society.