Latest: latest State of the Union clash as Trump calls Somali community 'pirates'
President Donald Trump focused on Minnesota’s Somali community in his Tuesday night State of the Union address, accusing members of carrying out massive fraud and drawing immediate, vocal pushback on the House floor. The exchanges highlighted tensions over immigration enforcement and an ongoing dispute about the size and scope of alleged fraud in Minnesota.
Latest reaction as Trump names 'pirates' and cites $19 billion figure
Trump said members of the Somali community have "ransacked Minnesota, " calling them "pirates" and asserting that they have "pillaged an estimated $19 billion dollars from the American taxpayer. " He then framed the remarks as part of a broader moral argument about corruption, saying, "The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception. " Trump also announced that Vice President JD Vance would lead the administration’s "war on fraud. "
Ilhan Omar and Minnesota Democrats loudly dissent on the House floor
The president’s comments prompted Somali American Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota to loudly rebuke him, calling him a "liar" and shouting, "That’s a lie... you’re lying. " At another point Omar yelled, "You have killed Americans, " an allusion to the federal agents who fatally shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Omar, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Reps. Angie Craig, Kelly Morrison and Betty McCollum remained seated for most of Trump’s speech while Republicans stood to cheer his remarks.
Attendance, dissent and a moment for the Olympic men’s hockey team
All but one of Minnesota’s six congressional Democrats attended the State of the Union; all four of Minnesota’s congressional Republicans were present. Sen. Tina Smith did not attend and instead spoke at a counter-rally on the National Mall. The five Democrats who stayed in the chamber stood and cheered when the Olympic men’s hockey team entered the House, marking a brief moment of bipartisan applause.
Conflicting tallies: $19 billion claim, prosecutors' estimates and what has been uncovered
Trump’s $19 billion figure was described in his remarks as the sum allegedly taken by members of the Somali community, but Minnesota prosecutors have put estimates at half that. Prosecutors say stolen funds could total $9 billion, though a newspaper has found that alleged fraud uncovered so far in some state programs is closer to $200 million. The discrepancy between those figures has become central to debate over enforcement actions in the state.
Operation Metro Surge, immigration enforcement and political fallout
Trump’s State of the Union came just over a week after the administration announced an end to Operation Metro Surge, which federal authorities said began in response to the fraud crisis in the state. The president also raised illegal immigration several times in the speech, saying at one point, "the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens, " and urging lawmakers to "end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who block the removal of criminal aliens. " Nearly all Somalis in Minnesota are citizens or legal residents, a fact cited by critics of the president’s framing.
Democratic rebuttal stresses federal tactics and local impacts
In the Democratic rebuttal to Trump’s address, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger more directly referenced the Department of Homeland Security’s surge in Minnesota. Spanberger said, "Our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans and they have done it without a warrant, " adding, "They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies. They have sent children, a little boy in a blue bunny hat … to far-off detentio"
The president’s immigration crackdown on Minnesota was widely unpopular in recent polling, and Democratic lawmakers have remained skeptical about the wind-down of enforcement activity in the state.
