Former U.S. President Donald Trump ignited controversy on Wednesday with a series of racist social media posts targeting Somali Americans and Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, falsely claiming undocumented immigrants are responsible for widespread fraud in Minnesota.
Trump's Inflammatory Claims on Truth Social
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump asserted that up to 90% of fraud in Minnesota is caused by people who entered the country illegally from Somalia. He specifically attacked Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Somali American Democrat from Minnesota, labeling her an "ungrateful loser" and a "scammer." Trump's post included a degrading and baseless insinuation about Omar's personal life and called for Somali Americans involved in fraud to be sent back to Somalia, which he described as "perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth."
Federal and State Response to Fraud Allegations
The outburst follows announcements from FBI Director Kash Patel and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about increasing operations in Minnesota to investigate alleged fraud involving federal social service funds. This came after a right-wing influencer's video claimed Somali-run day cares in Minneapolis committed up to $100 million in fraud.
Subsequently, the Department of Health and Human Services froze child care payments to the state. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the administration is considering stripping citizenship from Somali Americans found to have participated in related fraud.
Minnesota's Democratic Governor, Tim Walz, responded sharply on social media, accusing Trump of playing a "long game." Walz wrote that while the state has spent years cracking down on fraudsters, Trump is politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.
Context of Fraud Cases and Previous Comments
Minnesota has indeed been reviewing significant fraud cases for years. A major pandemic-era case involved the nonprofit Feeding our Future, which allegedly misused $300 million in federal funds intended to feed children. The Associated Press reports that 78 people have been charged, most of Somali descent.
This is not the first time Trump has targeted the Somali community. Earlier this month, he referred to Somali immigrants as "garbage" and stated he does not want them in the country. Representative Ilhan Omar's office did not immediately provide a comment on Trump's latest remarks.
