Minnesota Leaders Rebuke Trump’s 8 October Somali Post
DIASPORA · SOMALIA
Key Facts
- —The country Somalia, in the Horn of Africa. Minnesota hosts the largest Somali community in the United States, about 107,000 people by US census estimates cited by Caasimada Online.
- —Why it matters A sitting US president told residents of a US state to “fight back” against a named immigrant community, weeks before the midterm elections.
- —Why now The post followed federal terrorism charges against a Richfield teenager and a run of suburban shootings police link to Somali American youth gangs.
- —What happened At 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday 8 October, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Minnesota “is being taken over by Somali Immigrants.”
- —What it means for US readers Federal involvement was offered if state leaders ask. CAIR wants police to protect mosques and Somali businesses. The issue now runs into the 3 November midterms.
- —Still open Whether Governor Tim Walz or Mayor Jacob Frey will ask for federal help, and whether Somalia’s federal government in Mogadishu will respond.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday told the people of Minnesota to “fight back” against Somali immigrants, in a post on his Truth Social platform. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the United States. The post, which also offered federal help, matters abroad because it ties US domestic politics to a diaspora that Somalia relies on, weeks before the November midterms.
State leaders, faith groups and Somali American officials condemned the post on Thursday and Friday. Somali-language media picked it up overnight. Caasimada Online, a Mogadishu-based news site, ran it on Saturday under the headline that Trump had called for a fight against Somalis in Minnesota.
What Trump Wrote
The post went up at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday 8 October, according to an archive of Trump’s Truth Social account. Its opening lines read: “The once Great State of Minnesota is being taken over by Somali Immigrants. There is Violence, Murder, and Mayhem all over the State.”
It continued: “The people of Minnesota must fight back. You have been robbed, and abandoned by your State Government.” Trump called the governor “an incompetent thief,” without offering evidence.
He added: “The Somalians should not be allowed to get away with what they are doing. They view you as weak and stupid people. Fight back Minnesota, fight back!”
The post ended with an offer. “If you need, the Federal Government will come to your rescue,” Trump wrote. He said Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey “must immediately ask for Federal help” and “leave the rest to us!”
The Minnesota Reformer, a nonprofit newsroom in St. Paul, quoted the same lines on Thursday evening. Caasimada Online published a Somali translation that matches it.
What Came Before the Post
On Wednesday 7 October, the US Attorney’s Office for Minnesota announced charges against Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, of Richfield. Prosecutors allege he plotted a mass shooting at the Mall of America in support of the Islamic State group.
According to prosecutors, the FBI arrested him on Tuesday 6 October. That came shortly after he allegedly paid about US$600 in cash to an undercover FBI employee for an AK-47 rifle, magazines and ammunition. The FBI had made the rifle inert before the sale.
He is charged with one count of receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism. The complaint is an allegation. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Separately, police in the Twin Cities suburbs are dealing with a string of shootings they link to gangs of Somali American youths. One took place outside Eden Prairie High School on 2 October. On Friday, leaders from more than 40 agencies, including the FBI, met to coordinate a response, KSTP reported.
Minnesota has also seen a long-running fraud scandal in state-funded safety-net programmes, with scores of convictions. Trump has repeatedly tied these cases to the wider community. Last December, at a cabinet meeting, he called Somalis “garbage,” according to the Minnesota Reformer.
How Minnesota Responded
Walz, Minnesota’s Democratic governor and the party’s 2024 vice-presidential nominee, answered within hours. “The President’s deranged social media posts can’t distract from the fact that he’s losing a war and driving up costs,” he said.
“He’s lashing out at blue states because he can’t land a punch on America’s actual enemies,” Walz added, in a statement carried by KSTP. In a separate message sent by his political committee, he told Somali residents: “You are valued. You belong here. And we’re going to stand with you.”
Jamal Osman, a Minneapolis City Council member, addressed Trump directly. “Mr. President, Somali Minnesotans are your constituents, too,” he said. He added that “people who break the law should be held accountable.”
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights group, issued a statement on Friday. “President Trump is placing a target on the backs of Somali Americans,” said its executive director, Jaylani Hussein. “Somali Americans are not outsiders. They are Minnesotans.”
CAIR asked police at every level to step up protection at mosques, Somali-owned businesses and community centres. It also called on elected officials of both parties to reject the remarks.
Not every response came from Democrats. Michele Tafoya, a candidate for the US Senate in Minnesota, told KSTP: “No, I do not think President Trump’s post was helpful or appropriate.”
What It Means for US Readers
For most Americans the practical questions are about security and federal power. Trump offered federal help but said it depends on a request from Walz or Frey. Neither had publicly made one by Saturday morning.
The administration has already sent about 3,000 federal immigration agents to Minnesota in an earlier operation, according to the Minnesota Reformer. That operation drew lawsuits, Caasimada Online notes.
Most Somalis in Minnesota are US citizens. More than 80% hold citizenship and about 40% were born in the United States, the Reformer reports. Any federal action aimed at the community would therefore fall largely on Americans.
The post also lands in a tight campaign. Americans vote in the midterm elections on Tuesday 3 November, and Minnesota elects a US senator this year.
For investors and travellers, nothing changes immediately. No federal deployment, travel advisory or sanction was announced. CAIR has asked mosques and Somali organisations to report every threat to the police.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether Walz or Frey will request federal assistance. Frey had not issued a public reply to the post by Saturday morning.
It is also unclear whether Somalia’s federal government in Mogadishu will comment. No statement from the presidency or the foreign ministry had been reported by Saturday morning.
Trump did not say in the post what “fight back” should mean in practice. Whether the remarks lead to any change in federal policy toward Somalis in Minnesota remains open.
For background on Somalia itself, see Somalia Screens Flyers for Ebola After 1 Death in Kenya and Somalia and Djibouti Leaders Meet Amid Ethiopia War.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Trump say about Somalis in Minnesota?
In a Truth Social post on Thursday 8 October, he wrote that Minnesota “is being taken over by Somali Immigrants” and that “the people of Minnesota must fight back.” He offered federal help if state leaders ask.
How many Somalis live in Minnesota?
About 107,000 people of Somali origin live in Minnesota, according to US census estimates cited by Caasimada Online. Most are US citizens, and about 40% were born in the United States.
How did Governor Tim Walz respond?
Walz called the posts “deranged” and said Trump was “lashing out at blue states.” He told Somali residents they are valued and belong in Minnesota.
What is the Mall of America case?
Federal prosecutors charged Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, of Richfield, on 7 October with receiving a firearm to commit a federal crime of terrorism. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Will federal agents be sent to Minnesota?
Trump said federal help would come if Walz or Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey ask for it. Neither had made a public request by Saturday morning.
Sources: Truth Social post of 8 October 2026 (status 117407181257047860), Trump’s Truth archive; US Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota; CAIR-Minnesota statement; Minnesota Reformer; KSTP; Caasimada Online.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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