WASHINGTON, Jan 28: U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, known for wearing the hijab, staged an incident during her town hall meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This event, which occurred on Tuesday night, involved a man spraying her with an unknown substance.
“I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud,” Trump told ABC News. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” he commented, although he provided no evidence to support this claim.
When questioned if he had seen footage of the incident, the president admitted, “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
A livestream of the town hall captured the moment when a man stood up and yelled at Ms. Omar, a Democrat who was advocating for the resignation or impeachment of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following two fatal shootings by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis. The man was subdued and apprehended after spraying Ms. Omar.
Despite the event, Ms. Omar proceeded with her town hall, asserting, “(They) are not going to get away with it.”
After the event, she adopted a defiant stance, stating, “I’ve survived war and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation or whatever these people think they can throw at me, because I’m built that way.”
Later on Tuesday, the Minnesota Democrat wrote on the social platform X, “I’m ok. I’m a survivor, so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work.”
“I don’t let bullies win,” she added. “Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
Trump has frequently made xenophobic remarks about Ms. Omar, the only Somali American in Congress. Just hours before Tuesday’s incident, he criticized her during a speech in Iowa.
“She comes from a country that’s a disaster,” the president told the audience. “It’s considered, I think, the worst [country]. It’s not even a country.”
