Trump on Ilhan Omar’s town hall attack: ‘She probably had herself sprayed’
When Donald Trump was asked in an interview with ABC on whether he saw the video of the spray attack on Ilhan Omar, he said, “No, I don’t think about her.”
I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.
Asked again if he had seen the video, Trump said: “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
Key events
Minneapolis’s mayor, Jacob Frey, has responded to Trump’s earlier comment that he is “playing with fire” after Frey said yesterday that “Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws”.
Frey wrote on X:
The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws.
I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS [Minneapolis] & is from Ecuador.
It’s similar to the policy your guy Rudy had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911.
Trump ally Rudy Giuliani was the Republican mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. At the time, Giuliani was a prominent and fierce advocate for the rights of undocumented migrants, and defended the city’s sanctuary policies.
Earlier this morning, Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, and his wife visited the memorial to Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, becoming very emotional as they paid their respects.
Asked by an ABC reporter if he thought there would be a shift in tone from the administration after his conversation with Donald Trump on Monday, Walz replied:
I’m not so interested in shift in tone. We just need them out of here, and we need accountability for what’s happened.
“You see the trauma in this community,” Walz told an NBC News reporter as he was leaving, adding that Minnesotans are “demanding justice” and want agents to leave.
He said that since his call with the president after the killings of Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents, he had seen no evidence of ICE withdrawing from the city.
Once again, to Renee and Alex’s family, Minnesota has a responsibility to get you justice. And Minnesota has a responsibility to show the rest of the nation just how wrong this is.
Non-profit hunger-relief organizations in Minnesota are calling for an immediate end to Operation Metro Surge, saying that the “chaos and violence” ICE has brought to the state has left people scared to leave their homes and impeded efforts to get food to people who are “stranded and hungry”.
The letter, signed by close to 100 organizations, states that “with so many Minnesotans staying home for fear of being racially profiled, unlawfully detained, separated from their families or worse, we have had to scramble to find new ways to get emergency food to where it’s needed most”.
Minnesotans have shown up to keep one another fed. Yet at every turn, ICE has made it harder to get food to hungry neighbors, including by following volunteers doing food deliveries, standing outside food shelf entrances, staging from our parking lots or near our facilities, and, in at least one instance, detaining a volunteer. This is on top of the impact on child hunger from missed school meals.
“Every human being deserves to eat,” the letter goes on. “This not should be a controversial statement, and it certainly isn’t a political one.”
For the above reasons, and out of deep concern for our neighbors, we stand united in calling for an immediate end to the surge in federal immigration activity in our state so that we can safely deliver food to neighbors in need and ensure that they can freely attend school and access healthcare and other lifesaving services without fear. Operation Metro Surge is hurting our neighbors, it is making us less safe, it is further dividing our communities, and it is making it harder to get food to Minnesotans in need. Our communities deserve better.
Democratic representative Ro Khanna, of California, has joined other lawmakers in calling for the Trump administration to condemn last night’s attack on Ilhan Omar and to “tone down the rhetoric targeting her”.
In a post on X, he said:
It is time @JDVance to not just condemn unequivocally the violent attack on @IlhanMN last night but to genuinely tone down the rhetoric targeting her. This is no longer about political debate. There are members of Congress who fear for their lives.
Miller acknowledges possible breach of protocol before Alex Pretti’s shooting – CNN
White House deputy chief of staff and architect of Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration crackdown Stephen Miller has said that officials were evaluating why Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis “may not have been following” proper protocol before the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, CNN reports.
In a statement to CNN, Miller said the White House had “provided clear guidance to DHS that the extra personnel that had been sent to Minnesota for force protection should be used for conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.”
“We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol,” he said.
It comes amid a significant shift in the White House’s rhetoric amid the intense backlash over the fatal shooting of Pretti on Saturday. Miller initially referred to the killed ICU nurse as a “would-be assassin”, while, per my earlier post, DHS secretary Kristi Noem claimed he was a “domestic terrorist” (a characterization that has landed her in hot water).
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to rapidly distance Donald Trump from that messaging during a press briefing yesterday, saying she had not heard the president characterize Pretti in that way and called Pretti’s death a “tragedy”.
Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, has said he is “relieved” that Ilhan Omar is alright after she was attacked at her town hall last night.
In a post on X, he added:
But Trump’s response was shameful — & Republicans should say so.His baseless & racist attacks against her have no doubt endangered her. His inability to condemn the attack is appalling.
Initial DHS review makes no mention of Alex Pretti ‘brandishing’ a gun and finds two federal officers fired their guns in fatal shooting – NBC News
Two federal officers fired their guns during the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, according to an initial review by the Department of Homeland Security that was obtained by NBC News.
Three sources told NBC News that the preliminary report, from a Customs and Border Protection internal investigation led by the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility, was sent to congressional committees yesterday, including the House homeland security and judiciary committees.
According to the report, during the encounter on Saturday, an officer yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times and then “approximately five seconds later a BPA [Border Patrol agent] discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a CBPO [Customs and Border Protection officer] also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.”
It is unclear from the report whether the bullets from both officers’ guns hit Pretti.
NBC News also notes that the report did not make any mention of Pretti attacking officers or brandishing a gun, as DHS secretary Kristi Noem claimed in the aftermath of the shooting. Noem called the victim “a domestic terrorist who tried to assassinate law enforcement”, rhetoric that has since been walked back by the White House amid the deepening backlash over Pretti’s killing. Pressure is mounting on Noem to go, with even two Republican senators calling for her resignation.
Video footage recorded by multiple eyewitnesses show that Pretti was holding a phone, not a weapon, when he was tackled by federal agents. One video shows that an officer removed a gun from Pretti’s waist area just before he was fatally shot.
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement to the outlet that “the initial statement was based on reports from CBP from a very chaotic scene on the ground”.
“That’s precisely why an investigation is underway and DHS will let the facts lead the investigation,” they added.
Trump’s fundraising email asks “Are you an illegal alien?!?”
In a fundraising email sent out on Wednesday from Donald Trump’s team, he sarcastically asks those subscribed who haven’t responded to a “Citizens Only Survey” if they are undocumented.
“Your file says you’re a top MAGA patriot…but my records to my survey STILL say: RESPONSE PENDING”
“Don’t tell me, YOU’RE AN ILLEGAL ALIEN?!?”
The email was logged by Archive of Political Emails, a non profit project of Defending Democracy Together Institute.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers come out in support of Ilhan Omar
Late last night and early in the morning, lawmakers from both parties came out to condemn the spraying attack on Ilhan Omar during her town hall in Minneapolis.
A quick round up:
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries responded to comments from Donald Trump who quipped that “she probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Jeffries countered: “That’s a disgusting comment and the president’s lies and misinformation continue to fan the flames of these types of violent incidents.”
“Ilhan Omar, of course, is a strong, courageous, hardworking public servant. This should have never happened,” he continued.
Representative from Minnesota Angie Craig said she’s “relieved that my colleague Ilhan is safe.”
“The rise in political violence in our state must stop,” she posted on X. “We are better than this Minnesota.”
Representative from Ohio Greg Landsman said “the rhetoric against a sitting member of Congress is un-American” and leads to more violence.
“Everyone, regardless of political affiliation, should approach this moment with humility and grace. That’s how we break this cycle of division and hate.”
South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace wrote that she is “deeply disturbed” to learn that Omar was attacked at the town hall.
“Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric—and I do—no elected official should face physical attacks. This is not who we are.”
Trump on Ilhan Omar’s town hall attack: ‘She probably had herself sprayed’
When Donald Trump was asked in an interview with ABC on whether he saw the video of the spray attack on Ilhan Omar, he said, “No, I don’t think about her.”
I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.
Asked again if he had seen the video, Trump said: “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post Wednesday morning, threw a warning shot at Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey after he said the city would not change its sanctuary policies to get federal authorities out of Minneapolis.
“Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!” Trump posted.
Representative of Nebraska Don Bacon is the latest on a small list of Republicans to speak out about the attack against representative Ilhan Omar.
“Political violence is always wrong,” he wrote on social media. “We always have the right to free speech and to petition the government, but political violence must be dealt with sternly”.
He added that the attacker “needs to spend sometime (sic) behind bars.”
Trump says ‘massive armada’ heading to Iran
President Donald Trump has said a “massive armada” is heading to Iran and is ready to “fulfil its mission with speed and violence if necessary”.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Iran should be ready to enter negotiations to find a “fair and equitable deal” that stops them from having nuclear weapons. “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence,” he says.
This comes after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told state media in Iran that he has not been in contact with US envoy Steve Witkoff in the past couple of days. Previously, Iran had said there was always a channel of communication between the two.
The man accused of assaulting congresswoman Ilhan Omar has a reported history of sharing political posts, including one that criticised Omar, on social media.
According to CNN, the 55-year-old Minneapolis resident, who has been identified as Anthony James Kazmierczak through jail records, has shared political posts in the past, in. In 2021, he shared a political cartoon criticising Omar’s stance on security spending amid calls to defund police.
The outlet reports that he also reposted transphobic content made by conservative social media commentator Ben Shapiro. Also, after the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk in September, the accused attacker changed his social media profile picture to an image of Donald Trump speaking at a Turning Point USA event, later replacing it with a photo of Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk alongside Trump.
Ecuador says ICE agent attempted to enter its consulate in Minneapolis
The Ecuadorian government has said that a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent attempted to enter its Minneapolis consulate on Tuesday, but was prevented from coming in by staff working at the building.
This has prompted Ecuador’s government to send a formal protest note to US authorities “so that acts of this nature are not repeated at any of Ecuador’s consular offices in the United States.”
Videos circulating on social media appear to show a consulate staffer running to the door to turn the ICE agents away, telling them, “This is the Ecuadorian consulate. You’re not allowed to enter.”
Under international law, law enforcement authorities are prohibited from entering foreign consulates or embassies without permission. However, sometimes permission may be assumed granted for life-threatening emergencies, like fires.
The Guardian has reached out to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment.
‘I don’t let bullies win’: Ilhan Omar reacts after attack during Minneapolis town hall
Welcome to our live coverage of US politics.
While Donald Trump suggested he would “de-escalate” operations in Minneapolis, congresswoman Ilhan Omar was attacked and sprayed with an unknown substance at a town hall event in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening – where she was calling for the abolition of ICE “for good”.
A man lunged toward her with a syringe and sprayed the politician, before security tackled him to the ground. The alleged attacker, who has been identified as a 55-year-old Minneapolis resident, has been arrested and charged with third-degree assault. Jail records identified the man as Anthony James Kazmierczak.
Omar stepped toward the attacker before returning to the podium to say: “Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand: We are Minnesota strong. And we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw on us.”
Omar, who was not injured in the attack, later posted on social media that she was OK, adding: “I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me.”
Hours before the attack on Omar, president Donald Trump criticised the congresswoman as he spoke to a crowd in Iowa, where he said his administration would only let in immigrants who “can show that they love our country.”
“They have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar,” he said. The crowd responded with a booing sound as he mentioned her name.
He added: “She comes from a country that’s a disaster. So probably, it’s considered, I think – it’s not even a country.”
Omar and her family escaped civil war in Somalia when she was eight years old, and sought asylum in the United States after years in a refugee camp in Kenya. She is a US citizen.
There have been days of protest and international outcry over the Saturday shooting of 37-year-old VA nurse Alex Pretti, the second fatal shooting of a US civilian by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis.
The White House is also evaluating whether federal agents who gunned down a nurse may have failed to follow “clear guidance” to “create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors”, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told AFP.
The White House later said that Miller was referring to “general guidance” to immigration agents operating in the state, rather than the specific incident in which Pretti was killed.
Trump told Fox News “we’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” while adding that it was not a “pullback.”
