‘They rob us blind’: 46.9% of Minnesota voters put Donald Trump in office, and this is how he thanks them?
The xenophobia is alive and kicking.
President Donald Trump recently made some incredibly shocking remarks about the Somali community in Minnesota, stating at a Cabinet meeting on March 26, 2026, that “In Minnesota, it’s very Somalia-oriented. These people come from a crooked country, disgusting country, one of the worst countries in the world. They come to our country — low IQs — and they rob us blind. Stupid people, and they rob us blind.”
His latest comments mark a significant escalation in his consistent criticism of Somali-Americans and Somalia, especially in a state where he garnered 46.68% of the vote in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Despite these numbers, Trump’s vitriolic attacks on Minnesota have continued and intensified, fueled by federal probes and deportation efforts.
The president’s rhetoric really ramped up around a federal investigation into alleged welfare and childcare fraud in Minnesota, where dozens of people, mostly Somali-American operators of day-care centers, have faced charges or convictions. According to an Al Jazeera report from January, Trump claimed Somalis stole “$19 billion” in taxpayer funds. He’s also gone as far as labeling Minnesota a “hellhole” ruined by “Somali pirates,” “bandits,” and “garbage.”
Trump’s targeting of Somali Americans in Minnesota has been going on for months
This language is consistent with his administration’s broader immigration crackdown, which has included ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis and deploying a large number of ICE agents to Minneapolis. He’s consistently framed the community as low-IQ criminals from what he calls a “failed” or “fourth-world” country.
Critics have pointed out that Minnesota consistently ranks among the top U.S. states for quality of life, and its overall crime rates are below the national average. Yet, the specific “very Somalia-oriented” phrasing and “low IQ… rob us blind” language from Trump echo his earlier statements at Cabinet meetings, the State of the Union, the World Economic Forum in Davos, and various rallies.
The tensions in Minnesota have led to some truly concerning incidents. On January 27, 2026, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who is of Somali origin, was sprayed with a foul-smelling liquid during a town hall meeting she was hosting. The incident happened within an hour of Trump mentioning the Democrat during a speech in Iowa.
On November 21, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he was “immediately” terminating temporary protected status (TPS) for Somali immigrants in Minnesota. This program is designed to provide emergency refuge for people whose countries are in crisis, and about 705 Somalis were on it.
Without providing evidence, Trump claimed that “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State” and accused Governor Tim Walz, without proof, of overseeing a state that had become a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.” He bluntly stated, “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”
Officially, Trump has justified his crackdown in Minnesota as aimed at undocumented immigrants, whom he has blamed, without evidence, for disproportionately contributing to crime and fraud. However, the nature and duration of the violence unleashed by ICE and other federal agencies like Border Patrol on the streets of Minnesota appear unmatched.
Tragically, on January 7, Renée Good, was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis while trying to drive away from officers. Weeks later, Alex Pretti was shot dead by federal agents while helping a woman who had been pushed down on the street by officers.
Apart from Illinois, Minnesota is the only Upper Midwestern state that Trump failed to win even once in his three bids for the presidency in 2016, 2020, and 2024. Walz himself was the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate in 2024, running against Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
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