Trump’s Latest Racist Tirade

Malik Miah

ONCE AGAIN, THE white nationalist U.S. president blames immigrants from “Third World” countries for the decline of “Western civilization.”

Trump’s new target are people from Somalia living in the United States. He slams all Somali people in the country as “garbage” that should be removed. Trump especially despises people from Black Africa.

Before this latest rant, a week earlier Trump viciously attacked the Afghan community after a CIA-trained gunman attacked two white West Virginia National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C on November 26. The female guard, Sarah Beckstrom, died.

Trump “paused” the processing of all immigrants from Afghanistan. The Afghan born shooter received political asylum in April because of his ties to the CIA. He is said to have been struggling with mental health issues.

Trump said he prefers people from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark instead. (He apparently hasn’t pondered why few of those folks seem to prefer coming to the United States.)

He also announced the issuance of a $1 million Gold Card (with his face) to get millionaires from abroad to become permanent residents with a fast track to citizenship. (Trump is okay with millionaires from the Arab world and Asia.)

Why Somalia

His latest target are immigrants and their descendants (a majority now U.S. citizens or legal residents) from Somali. He particularly despises Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who came here decades ago as a child refugee and became a citizen.

She was first elected to the state legislature before becoming the first African-born Muslim woman elected to Congress. She said that on Saturday, December 13, her son was pulled over by ICE agents and asked to provide proof of citizenship.

“Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by ICE agents, and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go,” she told a local news station.

It was fortunate Omar’s son carried his passport, because ICE in many cases refused to accept other forms of proof of citizenship. More and Black and brown people are carrying proof of citizenship and legal residency.

In an Oval Office press conference on December 3 about the auto industry, Trump instead attacked the Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he’s proud to have the largest Somali community in the United States.

“I wouldn’t be proud to have the largest Somalian [population outside Somalia] look at their nation,” Trump snapped before going on a hateful tirade. “Look how bad their nation is. It’s not even a nation. It’s just people walking around killing each other. These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. They have destroyed Minnesota.”

These false and racist claims are typical of much of what the Trump White House says about immigrants — except those who are white.

Trump added later, “You have to have people come in that are going to love our country, cherish our country, they want to kiss our country goodnight,” He went one, “They talk about our country; we want them to pray for our country. This is not the people living in Minnesota.”

Trump has previously called Haiti and other countries with majority Black and brown populations “shithole” countries.

Ilhan Omar acknowledged Trump’s “obsession” with her in a social media post, saying she hopes he’ll “get the help he needs.”

Community Speaks Out

What is the response of the Somali community? As reported by many media outlets like CNN, HuffPost, CBS News there is fear, anger and condemnation of Trump’s attacks.

ICE is descending on Minneapolis and St. Paul in an operation focused on apprehending undocumented Somali residents in the region. Local leaders of the Somali community have denounced the Trump administration’s agenda and warned that agents are poised to racially profile people regardless of their status.

“They’re not just targeting so-called undocumented immigrants. They target all Somalis. Somali citizens have been stopped on the street, asked to provide documentation,” Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman told CNN in an interview.

“Let me just educate people. Ninety-five percent of the Somali residents in Minnesota are U.S. citizens. …So, there’s a small number that are looking for asylum that are awaiting their asylum court date. And those folks are also in danger.”

In both the United States and Canada where there are large Somali populations, some community members say this has sparked fear, anger and renewed concerns about safety and discrimination.

Ahmed Abdulkadir, 50, a community advocate in Edmonton, says Trump’s messaging is alarming and he worries that the narrative could put even law-abiding immigrants and citizens at risk.

“Racism, racism, that’s what’s happening,” he told CBC News.

“I’m worried somebody might see the news and assume they are bad people … it could have profound consequences.”

Somalis have been fleeing the Horn of Africa nation for decades, ever since the fall of dictator Siad Barre led to clashes between warlords and wider civil war. Some also fled following the rise of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab extremist group in the mid-2000s, and others have arrived through government sponsored refugee programs.

An estimated 260,000 people of Somali descent were living in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey. The largest population is in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, home to about 84,000 Somali residents, mostly American citizens.

In Minnesota, community advocate and journalist Awil Shire Wariye says women and girls wearing the hijab have reported being chased down on the streets. He says both individuals and groups are targeting Somali community members.

“This situation has reached a point where people feel insecure and live in fear, which does not reflect the values of society and human rights” that the United States prides itself on, he told CBC News.

Zaynab Mohamed, 28, a Minnesota state senator and the first Muslim woman elected to the state senate, says Trump is looking to divide the country.

“He’s spewing things that are absolutely false and using them as a base to dehumanize a community that’s built Minnesota’s economy here,” she said.

Somali War and Migration

The Somali Civil War, which escalated in the late 1980s and continued into the 1990s, is marked by significant conflict and humanitarian crises.

The roots of the conflict trace back to political repression and clan rivalries during the dictatorship of Siad Barre, who ruled from 1969 to 1991. Barre’s regime faced increasing opposition from various clan-based groups, leading to armed resistance.

In 1988: The Somali National Movement (SNM) launches an insurgency in the north, targeting Barre’s government.

In 1991: Barre is overthrown, leading to a power vacuum and the fragmentation of the country into rival factions.

In 1992: The United Nations intervenes with humanitarian aid amid widespread famine and violence.

The war results in estimated hundreds of thousands of deaths. Millions are displaced, leading to a refugee crisis in neighboring countries.

The civil war leads to the rise of warlords and further violence, complicating peace efforts.

Clashes between various factions continue throughout the 1990s, with no stable government established.

International Response

Multiple attempts at peace negotiations occur but often fail due to ongoing violence and lack of cooperation among factions.

The United States and other nations engage in military operations, notably the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, which highlights the challenges of intervention.

The conflict has lasting effects on Somalia, contributing to ongoing instability and challenges in governance.

Trump does not know about the civil war. He makes claims that Western civilization is under attack by Black and brown immigrant, but praises Afrikaner whites from South Africa.

European white immigrants from Europe havealso  been arrested by ICE. According to multiple sources, there are at least one million white immigrants without legal documentation.

The more this is understood, the more white people who see immigration as issues of Black and brown people may unite with Black and brown communities to fight back.

An edited version of this article appears in the January-February 2026 ATC, ATC 240