President Donald Trump reportedly used a Thursday press conference to again spotlight Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Democrat from Minnesota who has long been a lightning rod for controversy.
Trump recounted a past meeting with Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in which he suggested the East African leader “take back” Omar — an idea Mohamud rejected.
“Between her and Ilman Omar and the group, I met the head of Somalia. Did you know that?” Trump asked White House correspondent Reagan Reese. “And I suggested that maybe he’d like to take her back, and he said, ‘I don’t want her.’” The remark drew laughter from the room.
The exchange underscored how Omar, a member of the far-left “Squad,” remains one of the most divisive figures in Congress. She has repeatedly come under fire for remarks that critics say are hostile toward conservatives and dismissive of political violence directed at them.
Calls for Omar’s formal censure escalated in September following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Rather than joining bipartisan condolences, Omar told Zeteo News’ Mehdi Hasan that honoring Kirk’s legacy was misguided. “I think there are a lot of people out there talking about him just wanting to have a civil debate,” she said. “There is nothing more f-ed up than to completely pretend that his words and actions have not been recorded and in existence for the last decade or so.” She went further, saying, “These people are full of shit, and it’s important for us to call them out.”
Omar also reposted a video online that described Kirk as a “reprehensible human being,” a “stochastic terrorist,” and a “transphobe.”
The comments prompted Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace to introduce a resolution on Sept. 15 to censure Omar and strip her of committee assignments. “This is about accountability,” Mace said, arguing that Omar’s rhetoric had crossed a line.
The House vote two days later revealed how divided Congress remains over Omar’s role. By a narrow 214–213 margin, lawmakers voted to table Mace’s resolution, effectively shielding Omar.
Four Republicans joined Democrats to block the measure, highlighting fractures within the GOP over how aggressively to confront her.
Omar’s controversial posture is not new. Born in Somalia, she and her family fled the country in 1991 during the civil war, spending four years in Kenya before gaining asylum in the United States in 1995. By 1997, they had settled in Minnesota, where Omar later became a U.S. citizen at age 17.
Since arriving in Congress, Omar has framed herself as a progressive truth-teller, but her critics say her record is defined by inflammatory remarks and an unwillingness to show respect for political opponents.
Trump’s quip with Mohamud captured a sentiment that many conservatives have voiced more bluntly: that Omar, despite the opportunities afforded her in America, spends much of her time deriding the country and those who disagree with her.
For Trump, the episode was another chance to draw contrast. For Republicans like Mace, it reinforced the sense that Omar’s behavior is not just provocative, but unbecoming of a member of Congress.
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