President Donald Trump appeared to link Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar to the terrorist group ISIS Tuesday, further escalating his attacks on the Democratic lawmaker and her Somali roots.
On Truth Social, the president recirculated an article from last year that announced the U.S. had killed 14 ISIS operatives in airstrikes carried out in a cave complex near Bosaso in the East African nation. Trump first re-shared the article Monday and then again Tuesday.
In his Tuesday post, Trump baselessly commented, “Was Ilhan Omar there to protect her corrupt ‘homeland?’”
For years, Trump has lashed out at Omar, a progressive Democrat who was born in Somalia but gained U.S. citizenship in 2000. But recently, he has intensified those attacks with more racist and xenophobic language.
The president has called for Omar to be deported and mocked her for wearing a hijab. His attacks have coincided with his ire toward Somalis living in the U.S. as well, whom he has called “garbage” and accused of rampant fraud.
Trump’s latest Truth Social comment appeared to be just the latest escalation in his efforts to dehumanize Omar by tying her to a well-known international terrorist organization. It’s unclear why he used a year-old article as the basis for his comments.
There is no evidence Omar is affiliated with ISIS.
The Independent has asked Omar’s office for comment.
Omar has previously condemned Trump for his “hateful rhetoric” that she says has led to multiple death threats.
Since the administration began cracking down on immigration in Minnesota, with operations targeted at the Somali-American community, the tension between Trump and Omar has grown.
Omar has repeatedly called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished and accused officers of violating the law.
Trump, meanwhile, has made dehumanizing generalizations against Somalia and Somali-Americans. He often invokes Omar’s name during his attacks.
Recently, the Minnesota congresswoman was sprayed with vinegar during a press conference in which she was denouncing the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. She accused Trump of inciting the violence by being “obsessed” with her.
Omar and her family came to the U.S. seeking asylum in 1995 after living in a refugee camp in Kenya. Her family fled Somalia due to the Somali Civil War.
In 2018, Omar became the first Somali-American elected to Congress and became one of two Muslim women to serve in the House.
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