(This story contains language that some readers may find offensive)
Authors: Bianca Flowers, James Oliphant, David Hood-Nuño and Joseph Ax
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a closed-door meeting at the White House during his first term, President Donald Trump demanded to know why the United States accepts immigrants from “junk countries” such as Haiti and some African countries, remarks that were widely reported by Reuters and other media at the time.
Anger ensues. Lawmakers, including some Republicans, condemned the language as offensive. Even Trump tried to do damage control, denying in social media posts that he had used the words.
During a televised Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump reacted to reports of government fraud among Minnesota’s large Somali population, calling immigrants there “trash” and saying he wanted them “to go back to their home country.”
This time, Republican members of Congress stayed silent. Vice President J.D. Vance pounded the table in agreement, while White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt described Trump’s remarks as “amazing” and an “epic moment.”
The response underscores how Trump’s racial views are no longer viewed as out of bounds by some of his allies and supporters. Civil rights advocates and researchers say his rhetoric has become increasingly bold, normalized and politically permissible.
“Racism in America is no longer a dog whistle. We are dehumanizing and targeting people,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voter Matters Foundation, which works to provide better voter access to marginalized and predominantly Black communities.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement that President Trump is right to highlight the problems caused by “radical Somali immigrants.”
“While the media feigns outrage, Americans who have suffered as a result of these programs will celebrate the president’s words and outpouring of support for American citizens,” Jackson said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant said this week that his agency is investigating allegations that Minnesota tax dollars were diverted to the Somali militant group al-Shabab.
Trump has a long history of racist rhetoric, especially against immigrants of color. He thrust himself into national politics by promoting a false conspiracy theory that Democratic President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
Critics say that as president, Trump implemented policies that reflected his rhetoric, particularly his crackdown on immigration.
Trump stepped up his rhetoric on Wednesday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that Somalia is “considered by many to be the worst country on earth” and blaming Somali immigrants for “destroying this country.”
Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and several other Democrats in Congress called his comments “xenophobic and unacceptable” in a statement and warned that they could be used by militant groups such as the Islamic State to stoke anti-American sentiment abroad.
Escalation of speech
Alvin Tillery, a political science professor at Northwestern University, said Trump’s use of the presidential pulpit as a platform for racist comments is “absolutely unique” in modern times, surpassing the rhetoric of previous Republican presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, who were often criticized for making what many saw as thinly veiled racial appeals.
“They’ve never had this kind of hateful rhetoric directed at communities of color or minorities,” Tillery said. “It’s very dangerous.”
In many ways, Trump’s immigration policies echo his political rhetoric. He blocked almost all new refugees except white South Africans, whom he falsely claimed were targets of “white genocide.”
Masked federal officers have used aggressive tactics in immigration sweeps across the country and have been criticized for detaining people who appear to be simply Latino or who speak Spanish.
In recent days, Trump has escalated speech and immigration restrictions after the shooting deaths of two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. The suspected shooter was an Afghan who came to the United States under the Afghan Program to help U.S. troops during the war in Afghanistan. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and other crimes.
In response, the White House announced a suspension of immigration applications from 19 non-European countries.
Immigration remains one of Trump’s top concerns, although a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed his net approval rating on the issue had fallen from plus 7 in January to minus 10 in mid-November. Still, analysts say it gives him leverage at a time when broader support for his policies is wavering.
“It’s easy to scapegoat immigrants and say they’re the cause of all these problems,” said Melik Abdul, a Republican strategist and political commentator who supports Trump.
Language is at risk
Historians say people of color are at risk when authorities use racist rhetoric. In October, leaked political group chats exposed racist, anti-Semitic and violent rhetoric among young Republican leaders, raising concerns that hate speech has become the norm in American politics.
Trump’s comments on Tuesday alarmed Minnesota’s large Somali-American community amid news reports that the state could be subject to federal immigration raids. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 76,000 people of Somali descent in Minnesota in 2024; more than half were born in the United States.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota, told Reuters that many community members — including some who voted for Trump last year — now fear for their safety, which goes well beyond concerns about immigration enforcement.
After Trump suggested during a nationally televised presidential debate last year that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating family pets, threats to the community surged, businesses closed and many legal Haitian residents left the city.
Trump also attacked Minnesota U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, who came to the U.S. as a child as a Somali refugee and is now a naturalized citizen. He also called her “trash” on Tuesday and said on Wednesday, “She should be kicked out of our country.”
“The president has always made very bigoted, xenophobic, Islamophobic comments when it comes to people of the Muslim faith or black people,” Omar told Reuters on Wednesday. “We’ve seen him call African countries cesspools, so that’s not surprising.”
(Reporting by Bianca Flowers, James Oliphant and David Hood-Nuno; Additional reporting by JC Whittington and Andy Sullivan; Writing by Joseph Axe; Editing by Craig Timberg, Kat Stafford and Diane Craft)
