Rep. Ilhan Omar on Saturday addressed the Republican-controlled House’s failed attempt to censure her for comments about the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. Four Republicans joined the full Democratic caucus to shelve the resolution, which was led by Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
Following that failed vote, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to attack Omar and her home country of Somalia, which he said was “plagued by a lack of central Government control, persistent Poverty, Hunger, Resurgent Terrorism, Piracy, decades of Civil War, Corruption, and pervasive Violence.”
“All of this, and Ilhan Omar tells us how to run America!” the president continued. “What SCUM we have in our Country, telling us what to do, and how to do it.” On Thursday, Trump also told reporters aboard Air Force One that Omar should be impeached.
On Saturday, Omar joined “The Weekend: Primetime” to respond to Trump’s comments and Mace’s failed effort. “I’ve been here before,” she said. “I’ve been the target of the president in the most vile, bigoted, racist ways that you could imagine, and I’ve had to have full police detail because of that.”
The Minnesota Democrat criticized Trump for “creating chaos and division” and said the president seemed to “have a real obsession with anyone that is an immigrant in this country that is not of European descent.”
Omar went on to say that she feels “embarrassed” for the president and her other critics and that their constant attacks expose “how stupid they are.” That embarrassment, Omar argued, reflects on the U.S. as a whole: “That is embarrassing for us as a country, because these are people who are elected to positions of leadership.”
“He’s supposed to be the president of the United States,” Omar continued, calling Trump “uneducated” for not knowing members of Congress cannot be impeached. “What that displays for not just Americans, but folks on an international platform is that our country is being led by idiots, and that is not something that we should be comfortable with as Americans, and that’s not something that should make us proud,” she said.
“In this moment, I feel great sadness as an American that these are the kind of people that the world gets to see representing us,” Omar added.
The progressive Democrat said she believes the president and his allies are targeting people like her to “gin up hate.” Omar said she believes the ultimate goal of these attacks is “to get enough people to bully us into silence.” However, Omar said her critics would not succeed. “I would have hoped by now that they have learned one thing: They are not going to succeed in silencing my voice,” Omar said. “I have the honor and privilege of representing Minnesotans, who I love, who welcomed my family, who helped raise and educate me, and who have given me the opportunity, the privilege, the honor of representing them in the United States Congress.” She added, “That is what I bring with me every single day as I walk on those halls, knowing that there are great Americans who have faith in me to carry their voice to fight to make sure that they are able to afford their lives.” You can watch Omar’s full interview on “The Weekend: Primetime” in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
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