Tim Walz criticizes Trump for derogatory remarks towards Minnesota’s Somali community: 'Unprecedented'

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday after Trump referred to the states Somali community as garbage. Walz said the presidents remarks showed an unprecedented level of contempt toward a group of American residents.

We have children going to school today whose president just called them garbage, the governor said.

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, with roughly 84,000 Somali Americans living in the MinneapolisSt. Paul region. Nearly 60% of Somali residents in the state were born in the U.S., and the overwhelming majority of those born abroad are naturalized citizens.

Trumps criticism intensified after a conservative publication claimed last month that money stolen from state programs had been funneled to al-Shabab, an extremist group aligned with al-Qaida. While the alleged scheme involved members of the Somali community, investigators identified a white suspect as the primary organizer.

On Thanksgiving, Trump characterized Minnesota as a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity and announced that he would end Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals. Days later, during a Cabinet meeting, he said he did not want Somali immigrants to remain in the country.

During the same meeting, he referred to Rep. Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia, as garbage, and claimed that Somalia stinks. On Wednesday, he went further, saying Minnesota had become a hellhole because of its Somali population and asserting, Somalians should be out of here. Theyve destroyed our country.

Walz condemned these statements, calling them dangerous and dehumanizing. Attacking an entire community based on race or ethnicityespecially one that enriches our state economically and culturallyis something I hoped we would never witness, he said.

Some Republican lawmakers hesitated to criticize Trump directly but acknowledged that his comments were inappropriate. They argued instead that the conflict stemmed from the states failure to more aggressively prevent fraud within social service programs.

Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is running for governor and seeking Trumps endorsement, said she did not believe any community was wholly good or bad. We need to hold individuals committing fraud accountable, no matter who they are, she said.

State Sen. Eric Pratt, currently campaigning for a congressional seat, also declined to defend Trumps language. I wouldnt have said it that way, he noted. But the level of fraud and corruption has put Minnesota in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

The tension between Trump and Walz is longstanding, with both men frequently trading insults in the past.

Author: Lucas Grant