Overview
- At a Pennsylvania rally, President Trump called Somalia a disaster and described Somalis as "filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime," adding that "the only thing they're good at is going after ships."
- A week earlier at a cabinet meeting, he labeled Somalis "garbage" and said "they just run around killing each other."
- Somali defense minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi rejected the remarks, praising Somalis' hard work and resilience and urging Trump to focus on fulfilling his pledges to U.S. voters.
- Trump intensified the rhetoric after two National Guard troops were shot in Washington and promised to freeze migration from poorer countries; an Afghan national has been charged and has pleaded not guilty.
- A Newsweek opinion piece argues that U.S. policies, from arming the Barre regime to later interventions and drone strikes, helped destabilize Somalia, framing Somali migration to the U.S. in that context.