Walz and Klobuchar Condemn Trump’s Attacks on Minnesota, Warn Against Demonizing Somali Community

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D‑Minn.) on Sunday forcefully rejected President Donald Trump’s social media post that claimed Somali refugees are "completely taking over" the state and used a derogatory slur to describe the governor. Both officials accused the president of stoking division and unfairly targeting an entire community for the actions of a few.

Walz, speaking to NBC’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, said being insulted by the president had become "a badge of honor." He criticized the post for normalizing hateful language and for distracting from broader policy failures.

"As an example, hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota. Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for 'prey' as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone."

He also wrote: "The seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both."

Walz responded that efforts in schools and communities have long sought to remove that slur from common usage, calling the president's choice of words both hurtful and irresponsible. "Those people are going to jail and we are doing everything we can," Walz said of individuals accused of fraud — adding that "to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few, it's lazy."

On CNN’s State of the Union, Sen. Amy Klobuchar accused the president of using a tragic shooting in Washington, D.C., to inflame racial and religious tensions. "Every state has a problem with crime," she said, adding that the president "took that case, and then he went 2,400 miles away to Somalia and somehow indicted an entire group of people."

Context and local response

The controversy comes as federal prosecutors have charged dozens of Somali Americans over the past three years as part of a broad corruption investigation into Minnesota’s social services system. Minnesota is home to nearly 80,000 people from the Somali diaspora, and those prosecutions have generated intense local attention.

The Minnesota Department of Human Service Employees — an account that says it represents more than 480 workers in the state's Human Services Department — released a statement accusing the governor of having "betrayed Minnesota and caused some of the worst inequities Minnesota has ever seen, hurting the most vulnerable and needy." The statement reflects broader tensions as state and federal authorities pursue allegations of fraud and discrimination.

While condemning criminality where it exists, Walz and Klobuchar both urged restraint and cautioned against sweeping rhetoric that paints entire communities as threats. Their remarks highlight the political and social fallout from the president's post, and underscore ongoing debates over immigration, public safety, and fairness in the justice system.