‘I am not going anywhere’: Ilhan Omar says when asked if she ‘started packing bags for Somalia’
Trump has unleashed attacks on Omar, suggesting that she came to the US illegally, and also repeated unsubstantiated allegations that she married her brother to come to America.
Ilhan Omar has been the US representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019. (Photo: Reuters)
A video has gone viral on social media showing Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar being confronted by a journalist, who asked the Somalia-born lawmaker if she had started packing her bags to go back to her country of origin.
‘Will be here longer than Trump’
‘I’m not going anywhere. Don’t waste your energy on me’ she said, adding that “I will be here longer than Trump.”
She also hit out at US President Donald Tump, saying, “He is an old man losing his mind. Hope he gets help.”
The video was posted by conservative activist Laura Loomer, and the person who asked the question has been identified as a reporter working with her weekly show “Loomer Unleashed.”
43-year-old Omar, who has been the US representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district since 2019, had been on the receiving end of massive online trolling by right-wing activists following Trump’s recent comments about her and immigrants from Somalia in the wake of the Washington, DC shooting last week, which was carried out by an Afghan national.
US Representative Ilhan Omar attends a news conference addressing the anti-Muslim comments made by Representative Lauren Boebert towards Omar. (Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
Trump targets Somali immigrants
Trump on Tuesday said he did not want Somali immigrants in the US, and suggested they should go back to their home country.
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“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason. Your country stinks and we don’t want them in our country,” Trump said.
He specifically pledged to terminate temporary legal protections for Somalis living in Minnesota, which is home to the largest Somali diaspora in the United States.
Trump vs Omar
In the past few days, Trump has also unleashed attacks on Omar, suggesting that she came to the US illegally, and also repeated unsubstantiated allegations that she married her brother to come to America.
On Tuesday, Trump called Omar ‘garbage’.
“Ilhan Omar is garbage. She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage,” Trump said, to which the Democrat responded on social media, saying, “His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”
His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs. https://t.co/pxOpAChHse
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Ilhan Omar has been the US representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019. (Photo: Reuters) 
