WASHINGTON, Jan 28: U.S. President Donald Trump has alleged that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who wears a hijab, orchestrated an incident at her town hall meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday night, where a man sprayed her with an unknown substance.
Speaking to ABC News, Trump stated, “I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” though he did not provide evidence for his claim.
When questioned if he had viewed video footage of the event, the president replied, “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
Footage streamed live from the town hall showed a man standing and yelling at Ms. Omar, a Democrat, as she advocated for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to either resign or face impeachment following two fatal shootings by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis. The assailant was subdued and arrested after the incident.
Despite the disruption, Ms. Omar continued the town hall, asserting, “(They) are not going to get away with it.”
After the event, she expressed a more defiant stance, saying, “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 that evening, the Minnesota Democrat took to the social platform X, stating: “I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work.” She added, “I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
Trump has a history of directing xenophobic remarks toward Ms. Omar, the only Somali American serving in Congress. Hours preceding Tuesday’s incident, he criticized her once more during his speech in Iowa, saying, “She comes from a country that’s a disaster,” and further claiming, “It’s considered, I think, the worst [country]. It’s not even a country.”
