President Donald Trump's Thanksgiving evening social media outburst has drawn sharp criticism from within his own party, leaving at least one prominent GOP strategist expressing near disbelief at the former president's inflammatory language.
Thanksgiving Tirade Sparks Backlash
The controversy erupted when Trump took to Truth Social just before 11:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, launching a two-part post that included several controversial statements. The former president declared he would permanently pause immigration from all Third World countries and made specific allegations about Somali immigrants in Minnesota.
In his social media post, Trump claimed Somali immigrants were taking over Minnesota and incorrectly accused Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia, of entering the United States illegally. He also directed derogatory language toward Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, using what many consider an offensive term to describe the Democratic leader.
Republican Strategist Breaks Ranks
The remarks prompted CNN guest host Manu Raju to question Republican strategist Melik Abdul during Friday's broadcast of The Arena, specifically asking if he could defend Trump's choice of words. Abdul responded unequivocally: No, and I never do, characterizing Trump as someone known to say things that are a bit inappropriate.
Abdul revealed his initial reaction to seeing the post, stating: I was one of those who said when I saw it yesterday, I was like, 'Oh, bro, you gotta be kidding me now.' The conservative commentator particularly objected to Trump's description of Representative Omar, who is Muslim, as being always wrapped in her swaddling hijab.
Religious Imagery Draws Particular Criticism
Abdul highlighted the religious implications of Trump's hijab comment, noting the unusual word choice. He pointed out that swaddling is an image typically associated with Christmas and Jesus Christ, making the reference to a Muslim congresswoman's religious attire particularly jarring and potentially offensive to multiple religious communities.
The GOP strategist expressed concern that while such rhetoric might not significantly damage Trump's personal political standing among his core supporters, it could have broader consequences for the Republican Party. Abdul suggested that inflammatory comments represent one of the things that people say over and over again that they just do not like about political discourse.
Abdul framed the central question facing Republicans as: What happens to the Republican Party? Not Donald Trump, but what happens to the Republican Party? This distinction highlights growing concern among some party strategists that Trump's controversial statements may hinder broader Republican appeal beyond his dedicated base.
The incident represents another example of Trump using holiday occasions to make political statements that generate controversy and division within his own party, leaving strategists like Abdul to manage the fallout while the former president continues to dominate the Republican political landscape.
