U.S. President Donald Trump delivered sharp remarks targeting Somali immigrants and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar during an event focused on reducing the cost of living for American citizens.
Trump repeatedly singled out Somali immigrants in Minnesota following reports linking some members of the community to a local corruption scandal. Speaking about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Trump stated, “She does very little, she is always complaining. She comes from one of the worst countries in the world,” comments that were met with laughter and applause from the audience.
Trump also emphasized that during his presidency, he restricted immigration from countries he described as unsafe or conflict-affected, including Afghanistan, Haiti, and Somalia, among others.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem indicated that the administration is planning to expand travel restrictions to over 30 countries following a recent shooting incident. Previously, Trump had banned travel from 19 countries deemed high-risk, which included Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Yemen.