Donald Trump urges Minnesota to ‘fight back’ against Somali immigrants

President Donald Trump has drawn sharp criticism following social media posts in which he urged residents of Minnesota to ‘fight back’ against Somali immigrants. Trump claimed the state is being ‘taken over’ by the community and cited issues of violence and fraud to justify his rhetoric. He further criticized Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, calling for federal intervention to assist state authorities.

Minnesota officials and civil rights groups have condemned the remarks. Governor Walz described the posts as an ‘unhinged social media tirade,’ while the Council on American-Islamic Relations stated that Trump is ‘deliberately inciting race hatred’ and placing a target on Somali Americans. Republican Tom Emmer also faced backlash after referring to Somali gangs as ‘enemy combatants’ during a media appearance.

In separate news, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has formally nominated Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson to lead the Minneapolis Police Department permanently. Peterson, a 30-year veteran of the force, emerged from a pool of internal candidates to succeed former Chief Brian O’Hara, who resigned in May.