Trump Targets Ilhan Omar and Somali Migrants at Rally; Administration Expands Travel Restrictions

President Trump used a campaign-style rally Tuesday, billed as an event focused on lowering costs for Americans, to launch an extended attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and migrants from Somalia and other countries he described as "third-world." The roughly 90-minute speech repeatedly returned to immigration, national security and cultural assimilation.

Trump singled out Somali migrants in Minnesota, saying he had concerns after reports tying some members of the community to a fraud investigation in the state. He mocked Rep. Omar and repeated blunt characterizations of her background while drawing loud jeers and applause from the crowd.

"I love this Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is. With her little turban. I love her. She comes in, does nothing but bitch. She’s always complaining. She comes from her country where, I mean it’s considered about the worst country in the world," he said, according to remarks reported at the rally.

Later in the event, Trump said he had paused migration from what he called "hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, and many other countries," and responded to an audience shouted slur by saying, "I didn't say 'sh–hole,' you did."

The administration ordered a halt to processing visas for Afghanistan after authorities said an alleged gunman who shot two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., was identified as an Afghan national. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration plans to expand the travel ban to more than 30 countries in the wake of that shooting.

The administration already lists 19 countries subject to travel restrictions it describes as necessary for security and public-safety reasons. Those countries, according to the administration, are:

• Afghanistan
• Burundi
• Chad
• Cuba
• Republic Of Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Laos
• Libya
• Myanmar
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela
• Yemen

Trump concluded by arguing that the United States should exclude people who do not "share our values, contribute to our economy, and assimilate into our society." His remarks reaffirmed an administration focus on immigration restriction and cultural assimilation as central themes heading into the next election cycle.

Note: This article summarizes public remarks made at a rally and statements by administration officials that have been reported by news organizations.