Trump online: A burst of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric - Reuters

Former President Donald Trump issued a series of statements on his Truth Social platform on Thursday targeting the Somali American community and Muslim political candidates. In his posts, Trump characterized the Somali immigrant population as a threat to Minnesota, claiming that the state is being taken over and experiencing widespread violence, murder, and mayhem. He urged state authorities to request federal intervention to address the situation.

The remarks followed comments made earlier the same day in which Trump labeled Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim candidate for the U.S. Senate, a radical extremist. These statements have drawn criticism from civil rights advocates who have long opposed the former president’s rhetoric regarding minorities and immigrants. Critics noted that this is not the first time Trump has used inflammatory language toward this community, having previously referred to Somalis using derogatory terms.

Trump has frequently cited a 2020 scandal involving the misappropriation of millions of dollars from a state-run, federally funded child nutrition program as justification for his focus on Minnesota. While many of the individuals accused in the fraud case were Somali Americans, the legal proceedings also involved others. In May, Aimee Bock, who is not a Somali immigrant and served as the leader of the non-profit organization at the center of the scheme, was sentenced to 41 years in prison following her conviction as the ringleader.

The former president has utilized the details of this fraud case to support his broader political platform, which includes calls for an aggressive surge in the arrest and deportation of immigrants. His focus on Minnesota, a state currently led by Democrats, remains a central component of his ongoing commentary regarding immigration policy and national security.