Donald Trump is now spreading the lie that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar is somehow connected to ISIS terrorists in Somalia.
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump linked to a Fox News report about U.S. military strikes on ISIS-Somalia leaders hiding in caves. His caption: “Was Ilhan Omar there to protect her corrupt ‘homeland?'”
Let that sink in. The President of the United States is baselessly implying that a sitting member of Congress—a naturalized American citizen who has served in the U.S. government for years—is aligned with a terrorist organization.
THE DETAILS: Omar, 43, is the first Somali American ever elected to Congress. She fled Somalia with her family when she was 8 years old, spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp, and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. She’s been an American citizen for a quarter century.
But Trump has been obsessed with Omar for years. According to reports, he’s called her “garbage,” insisted she be jailed and deported to Somalia, mocked her hijab, and announced the Justice Department will investigate her after her net worth increased. A spokesperson for Omar told POLITICO she hasn’t received anything from the DOJ about any investigation.
When asked for comment on the ISIS insinuation, a White House spokesperson simply pointed back to Trump’s social media post. That’s it. That’s the official response.
OF COURSE: This escalation comes as tensions between Trump and Omar have intensified over the administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Omar has called for abolishing ICE and called Trump and his administration “liars” for labeling Renee Good—a mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last month—”a domestic terrorist.”
Then, after a man charged at Omar during a town hall and sprayed her with water and apple cider vinegar, she accused Trump of spewing “reprehensible rhetoric” that emboldens “right-wing grifters” to “terrorize our community.” Trump’s response? He said Omar “probably had herself sprayed.” The man was arrested and charged with assaulting a federal employee.
WHY IT MATTERS: This isn’t just another Trump tweet to roll your eyes at. When a president publicly suggests—with zero evidence—that a Muslim congresswoman is connected to terrorists, he’s doing something deeply dangerous. He’s painting a target on her back. He’s legitimizing violence against her. And he’s telling his supporters that a duly elected member of Congress is an enemy combatant.
Omar has previously said Trump is “obsessed” with her. At this point, that’s an understatement. This is stochastic terrorism dressed up as a social media post.