Trump ‘garbage’ rhetoric about Somalis draws cheers from administration, silence from Republicans and alarm from critics

(This story contains language that some readers may find offensive)

By Bianca Flowers, James Oliphant, David Hood-Nuño and Joseph Ax

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – At a closed-door White House meeting during his first term, President Donald Trump demanded to know why the United States was accepting immigrants from “shithole countries” such as Haiti and some African countries; these remarks were widely reported by Reuters and other media outlets at the time.

Anger followed. Lawmakers, including some Republicans, condemned the language as offensive. Even Trump tried to do damage control by denying he ever used those words in a social media post.

In a televised cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump reacted to reports of government fraud in pockets of Minnesota’s large Somali population by calling immigrants there “garbage” and saying he wanted them “sent back to where they came from.”

This time, Republican members of Congress remained silent. As Vice President J.D. Vance tapped the table in approval, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Trump’s remarks “astonishing” and an “epic moment.”

The response underlined that Trump’s racist views are no longer considered out of bounds among some of his allies and supporters. Civil rights advocates and researchers say his comments have become increasingly bold, normalized and politically acceptable.

“Racism is no longer a whistle in America. We are dehumanizing and targeting people,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, a group that pushes for better voter access for marginalized and predominantly Black communities.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that President Trump was right to highlight the problems caused by “radical Somali immigrants.”

“While the media pretends to be outraged, Americans harmed by these plans will celebrate the president’s comments and the strong support for American citizens,” Jackson said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week that his agency is investigating allegations that tax dollars from Minnesota were funneled to the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab.

Trump has a long history of racist rhetoric, especially against non-white immigrants. He propelled himself into national politics by advancing the false conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama, a Democrat, was not born in the United States.

Critics say Trump is implementing policies that reflect his own rhetoric as president, particularly his crackdown on immigrants.

On Wednesday, Trump doubled down on his comments, telling reporters in the Oval Office that Somalia “is considered by many to be the worst country in the world” and accusing Somali immigrants of “destroying the country.”

Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and several other Democrats in Congress called his comments “xenophobic and unacceptable” in a statement and warned that militant groups such as the Islamic State could use them to fuel anti-American sentiment abroad.

ARGUING RHETORIC

Alvin Tillery, a political science professor at Northwestern University, said Trump’s use of the presidential bully pulpit as a platform for racist comments is “absolutely unique” in the modern era and goes beyond the rhetoric of previous Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, who were often criticized for making what many saw as thinly veiled racist appeals.

“They have never even come close to this kind of hateful rhetoric targeting communities of color or minority groups,” Tillery said. “This is very dangerous.”

In many ways, Trump’s immigration policies mirror his political statements. He blocked almost all new refugees except white South Africans, whom he falsely claimed were the targets of “white genocide.”

Masked federal officers have used aggressive tactics in immigration sweeps across the country and have been criticized for only detaining people who appear to be Latino or speak Spanish.

In recent days, Trump has stepped up his rhetoric and immigration restrictions following the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC. The suspected Afghan hitman, who came to the United States as part of a program for Afghans who assisted American forces during the war in their country, pleaded not guilty to murder and other crimes.

In response, the White House announced that it was pausing immigration applications from 19 countries outside Europe.

Immigration remains one of Trump’s strongest issues, but a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump’s net approval rating on the issue rising from plus 7 in January to minus 10 in mid-November. Still, analysts say it gives him an advantage at a time when broad support for his policies is weakening.

“It’s easy to scapegoat immigrants and say they’re the cause of all these problems,” said Melik Abdul, a Republican strategist and political commentator who supports Trump.

LANGUAGE CARRIES A RISK

Historians say authorities’ use of racist rhetoric poses a risk to people of color. Leaked political group chats in October revealed racist, anti-Semitic and violent rhetoric among young Republican leaders, raising concerns that hate speech has become normalized in American politics.

Trump’s comments on Tuesday alarmed Minnesota’s sizable Somali American community, amid reports of possible federal immigration raids there. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 76,000 people of Somali descent living in Minnesota in 2024; More than half were born in the United States.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota, told Reuters that many community members, including some who voted for Trump last year, now fear for their safety well beyond concerns about immigration enforcement.

Last year, after Trump suggested during a nationally televised presidential debate that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets, threats to that community increased, businesses closed, and many legal Haitian residents left the city.

Trump also attacked Minnesota US Representative Ilhan Omar, who came to the US as a Somali refugee as a child and became a naturalized citizen. He called it “garbage” on Tuesday and said on Wednesday it should “get the hell out of our country.”

“The president has always made very bigoted, xenophobic and Islamophobic comments when it comes to people of the Muslim faith or Black people,” Omar told Reuters on Wednesday. “We’ve seen him call African countries shitholes, and that’s really no surprise.”

(Reporting by Bianca Flowers, James Oliphant and David Hood-Nuno; Additional reporting by JC Whittington and Andy Sullivan; Writing by Joseph Axe; Editing by Craig Timberg, Kat Stafford and Diane Craft)