Walz describes Trump's comment as 'unprecedented garbage'

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) strongly criticized President Trumps comments targeting Somali immigrants, in which the president referred to the group as garbage. Walz described the statement as unprecedented for a sitting U.S. president.

Today, children are going to school after being insulted by their own president, Walz said, according to The Associated Press.

Minnesota hosts the largest Somali community in the country, with roughly 84,000 residents in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas identifying as Somali. Among them, 58% were born in the United States, and 87% of foreign-born Somalis are naturalized citizens.

Earlier this week, during a Cabinet meeting, President Trump criticized the Somali population, calling Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) garbage and remarking negatively about Somalia itself. The administration has also initiated immigration enforcement efforts focused on undocumented individuals within Minnesotas Somali community.

Walz condemned the presidents remarks, emphasizing the contributions of the Somali population to the states economic and cultural vitality. Targeting an entire community based on race or ethnicity is unacceptable and disheartening, Walz said during a state budget briefing.

Some Republican lawmakers stopped short of fully denouncing the president but expressed disagreement with his phrasing. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth stated, No community is entirely bad, just as none is entirely good. Accountability should focus on those committing fraud, not an entire group.

Senator Eric Pratt, who has announced a congressional run, expressed a similar sentiment, acknowledging the presidents frustration over fraud and corruption in the state while criticizing the negative attention it has drawn nationally.

The Somali community in Minnesota has recently been in the spotlight due to a pandemic-era fraud case linked to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Although the main figure behind the scheme is white, numerous Somali residents have faced convictions or charges related to falsifying meal records to misappropriate state funding.

Author: Sophia Brooks