...
By Mandy Taheri
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, fired back at the White House after it revived a debunked claim that she married her brother, posting a viral response that has topped 10.2 million views and pivoted from her denial to asking, “is your President a pedophile?”
Newsweek has reached out to Omar’s press team for comment via email on Thursday.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has claimed that Omar allegedly married her brother, a long-debunked claim that came to prominence years earlier that she has repeatedly denied. Omar who has represented Minnesota in the House since 2019, has frequently been the target of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim attacks tied to her Somali heritage, faith and politics.
Read More on Politics
She is one of the original members of “the Squad,” a group of progressive House Democrats that often clashes with Trump and members of his administration.
...
What To Know
In a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, Trump took issue with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his handling of the state’s Somali immigrant population, accusing them of having “ripped off” Minnesota. In his speech, he also dug into Omar, calling her “impotent” and a “real terrible person.”
Omar reposted a clip of his statements about Minnesota and her, writing in a Tuesday X post: “His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.” Her response has been viewed nearly 8 million times as of Thursday.
The official Rapid Response 47 White House team responded to her post, writing: “Why did you marry your brother.” Trump has repeated this debunked allegation before, writing on Thanksgiving: “Ilhan Omar, always wrapped in her swaddling hijab, and who probably came into the U.S.A. illegally in that you are not allowed to marry your brother, does nothing but hatefully complain about our Country, its Constitution, and how 'badly' she is treated, when her place of origin is a decadent, backward, and crime ridden nation, which is essentially not even a country for lack of Government, Military, Police, schools, etc.”
Omar once more reshared the post, writing: “I didn’t but is your President a pedophile?” That post had nearly 11 million views by Thursday.
Her comment comes after Trump was mentioned in several documents related to sex offender and disgraced financer Jeffrey Epstein in November. Epstein had social connections with many prominent people, including politicians. Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes and has said he ended their relationship years before Epstein's death in 2019.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Omar: "shouldn't be allowed to be a congresswoman, and I'm sure people are looking at that. And she should be thrown the hell out of our country."
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, on X on Tuesday: "When demagogues like Trump are in trouble, they reach for the same playbook: racism, hatred and division, this time against Rep. Ilhan Omar and the Somali-American community. It’s disgusting. It’s un-American. And it won’t work."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines