Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defended Minnesota’s Somali community as “part of the fabric of our state” in a video from Lake Street after critical remarks by former President Trump. Trump has posted inflammatory comments on Truth Social and used derogatory language at a Cabinet meeting. Rep. Ilhan Omar and state leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, criticized the remarks, while the White House issued a statement defending the president.
Peggy Flanagan Defends Somali Minnesotans As 'Part Of The Fabric' Amid Trump Attacks
Peggy Flanagan Says Somali Community Is 'Part Of The Fabric' Of Minnesota
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan on Wednesday publicly defended the state's Somali community, calling it “part of the fabric of our state” in response to recent attacks from former President Donald Trump. Flanagan — who is running for the U.S. Senate — posted a video on Bluesky from Lake Street, a neighborhood long recognized as a center of Minnesota’s Somali population.
“These are teachers and nurses and neighbors and mayors and our friends,” Flanagan said, listing the civic and professional contributions of Somali Minnesotans.
Trump has repeatedly targeted Somalis in recent weeks. On Truth Social he wrote that “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota.” During a Cabinet meeting, he also attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), calling her “garbage,” saying he did not want Somali immigrants in the United States and adding that Somalia “stinks.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar — who became a U.S. citizen about 25 years ago after fleeing Somalia’s civil war as a child — pushed back on the remarks. Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead,” Omar accused Trump of using “very bigoted, xenophobic, Islamophobic, racist rhetoric” to scapegoat and deflect from his administration’s failures.
Other Minnesota leaders joined Flanagan in condemning the rhetoric. Gov. Tim Walz told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that demonizing the Somali community is wrong and highlighted the community’s roles as educators, artists, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs who add diversity and energy to the state. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also rejected the president’s comments.
The White House, however, defended Trump’s language. A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, issued a statement to The Hill saying, in part, that the president was “absolutely right to highlight the problems caused by the radical Somali migrants that the Democrats let invade our country and steal from American taxpayers.”
Local officials and community members say the exchange underscores broader national debates over immigration, race and political rhetoric ahead of the 2024 election cycle. Updated at 1:55 p.m. EST.
Help us improve.
