Tim Walz slams Trump for calling Minnesota’s Somali community ‘garbage’: ‘Unprecedented’
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has publicly condemned President Donald Trump for his derogatory remarks about the state’s Somali community, which he referred to as “garbage.” During a recent press briefing, Walz highlighted the damaging impact of such language, emphasizing that young children in the state are now facing the harsh reality of their president’s contempt. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, with around 84,000 individuals primarily residing in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas. Notably, nearly 60% of these individuals were born in the U.S., and 87% of foreign-born Somalis are naturalized citizens, underscoring the community’s significant integration into American society.
Trump’s comments have escalated following allegations from the conservative news outlet City Journal, which claimed that taxpayer funds from defrauded government programs have been funneled to the Somali militant group al-Shabab. In a series of incendiary statements, Trump has labeled Minnesota as a “hub of fraudulent money laundering” and has expressed his desire to terminate the Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the state. His rhetoric intensified during a Cabinet meeting where he referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage” and claimed that their presence has turned Minnesota into a “hellhole.” While some Republican leaders in Minnesota have refrained from outright condemnation of Trump’s comments, they expressed frustration over the alleged fraud within social service programs, suggesting that the issue would not have escalated had Walz acted more decisively.
Governor Walz’s remarks reflect a broader concern about the implications of Trump’s divisive language, particularly as it pertains to the Somali community’s contributions to Minnesota’s cultural and economic landscape. He articulated a vision of accountability that does not demonize entire communities but rather addresses the actions of individuals engaged in fraud. This incident marks a significant moment in the ongoing tensions between state and federal leadership, particularly as both Walz and Trump have exchanged personal jabs in the past, with each accusing the other of incompetence and harmful governance. As the situation unfolds, it raises critical questions about the role of rhetoric in shaping public perception and policy, particularly concerning immigrant communities in the United States.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK2dJCa-Gu8
Minnesota Gov.
Tim Walz
, a Democrat, criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday for describing the state’s Somali community as “garbage.”
Walz said Trump’s statements of contempt for the state’s Somali community were “unprecedented for a United States president.”
“We’ve got little children going to school today who their president called them garbage,” the blue state governor said.
Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the country, with about 84,000 people in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area of Somali descent. Nearly 60% of Somalis in the state were born in the U.S., while 87% of the foreign-born Somalis are naturalized U.S. citizens.
TREASURY SECRETARY LAUNCHES PROBE INTO MINNESOTA TAX DOLLARS ALLEGEDLY FUNDING AL-SHABAAB TERRORISTS
Trump’s comments about Somalis in the state have intensified after the City Journal, a conservative news outlet, claimed last month that taxpayer dollars from defrauded government programs have been sent to the Somali militant group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaida.
The alleged ringleader of the fraud scheme is white, but dozens of people in the Somali community have reportedly been involved.
On Thanksgiving, Trump said Minnesota was “a hub of fraudulent money
laundering activity
” and that he was terminating
Temporary Protected Status
for Somalis in the state.
On Tuesday, the president said at a Cabinet meeting that he did not want Somali immigrants to remain in the U.S.
“We can go one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country,” he said.
During the meeting, he also called Somalia-born Rep.
Ilhan Omar
, D-Minn., “garbage” and said Somalia “stinks.”
On Wednesday, Trump said Minnesota had become a “hellhole” because of the Somali community.
“Somalians should be out of here,” he told reporters. “They’ve destroyed our country.”
The Trump administration launched immigration enforcement operations targeting migrants living among Minnesota’s Somali community.
“Demonizing an entire group of people by their race and their ethnicity, a very group of people who contribute to the vitality — economic, cultural — of this state is something I was hoping we’d never have to see,” Walz told reporters during a briefing on the state’s budget. “This is on top of all the other vile comments.”
Republican legislative leaders have been reluctant to condemn Trump’s remarks, although some did suggest he went too far. They also contended that the dispute would not have happened if Walz had acted more effectively to stop fraud in social service programs.
ILHAN OMAR PRESSED TO EXPLAIN HOW FRAUD IN MINNESOTA GOT ‘SO OUT OF CONTROL’
“In no way do I believe any community is all bad. Just like I don’t believe any community is all good. What we need to do is call the fraudsters in any community accountable for their actions and stop it here in the state of Minnesota,” Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is running for governor and hopes to secure Trump’s endorsement, told reporters.
Republican state Sen. Eric Pratt, who is running for the congressional seat being vacated by Democrat U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, also would not defend the president’s comments.
“It wasn’t said the way that I would have said it,” Pratt said. “But what I will say is, I share the president’s frustration in the amount of fraud and corruption that’s effectively gone on in the state. I mean, it’s really put a black eye on the state, and we are in the national news for all the wrong reasons.”
Trump and Walz have repeatedly hurled insults at each other in the past, including the president hitting the Minnesota Democrat as ”
grossly incompetent
,” a “mess” and “re—-ed” and the governor calling Trump a ”
wannabe dictator
,” a “cruel man” and a “bad human being,” and ICE under the administration a ”
modern-day
Gestapo.”
