WASHINGTON, Jan 28: U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, known for wearing a hijab, orchestrated an incident during her town hall meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Tuesday night, when a man sprayed 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 added, without presenting any evidence.
When asked if he had seen the footage of the incident, the president stated, “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
A livestream of the town hall captured a man standing and yelling 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 involving immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis. The suspect was apprehended and arrested after the attack.
Ms. Omar continued with the town hall following the incident, asserting, “(They) are not going to get away with it.”
She adopted an even more defiant stance in her remarks after the event.
“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,” the lawmaker declared.
Later on Tuesday, Ms. Omar 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 continued. “Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
Trump has frequently attacked Ms. Omar with xenophobic remarks, targeting her as the only Somali American in Congress. Hours before the incident on Tuesday, he criticized her during a speech in Iowa.
“She comes from a country that’s a disaster,” the president told the crowd. “It’s considered, I think, the worst [country]. It’s not even a country.”
