President Donald Trump alleged that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is one of the reasons he will win Minnesota in 2020 on July 23.
“In 2016 I almost won Minnesota. In 2020, because of America hating anti-Semite Rep. Omar, & the fact that Minnesota is having its best economic year ever, I will win the State!” the president wrote on Twitter.
“’We are going to be a nightmare to the President,’” she say [sic],” he added. “No, AOC Plus 3 are a Nightmare for America!”
Omar, an immigrant from Somalia, apologized earlier this year for perpetuating anti-Semitic tropes. “Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes,” she wrote. Omar had insinuated that support for Israel is driven by money.
In 2016 I almost won Minnesota. In 2020, because of America hating anti-Semite Rep. Omar, & the fact that Minnesota is having its best economic year ever, I will win the State! “We are going to be a nightmare to the President,” she say. No, AOC Plus 3 are a Nightmare for America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2019
In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other top Democrats condemned Omar’s comments. “We are and always will be strong supporters of Israel in Congress because we understand that our support is based on shared values and strategic interests,” the group stated.
“Legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate that the United States and Israel share. But Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive.”
“Rep. Omar’s use of an anti-Semitic stereotype was offensive and irresponsible. This kind of intolerance has no place in Congress—or anywhere in American society. No one should invoke anti-Semitic tropes during policy disagreements,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in another statement.
Trump has been attacking Omar and the so-called “Squad”—Omar’s close allies, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)—since July 14, when he urged them to leave the country if they don’t like it.
The group and Trump have continued to trade barbs since then, with Tlaib asserting Trump will be impeached and the president demanding the group apologize for past comments on Israel, Americans, and other issues.
Trump listed the ways he believes Omar has expressed anti-American sentiment at a rally in North Carolina last week, prompting chants of “send her back.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump slammed the efforts to impeach him while listing the accomplishments of his administration, including strong employment numbers, tax cuts, and an upgraded military.
He then noted that despite the accomplishments some Democrats, including the “Squad,” are attempting impeachment, writing: “The ‘Squad’ (AOC Plus 3) and other Dems suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Crazy!”
Trump and Minnesota
While Trump failed to win Minnesota in 2016 he narrowed the plus-7.7 margin Barack Obama had over Mitt Romney in 2012 to a plus-1.5 margin.
The president’s flip of three crucial states helped ensure his election. Michigan flipped from +9.5 percent for Obama to +0.2 percent for Trump; Pennsylvania flipped from +5.4 percent for Obama to +0.7 percent for Trump; Wisconsin flipped from +6.9 percent for Obama to +0.8 percent for Trump.
The president and his campaign have been seeding the notion that he’ll win Minnesota in 2020 recently. Trump said the battle over the Pledge of Allegiance in a Minneapolis suburb was another reason he’d flip the state.
“People are sick and tired of this stupidity and disloyalty to our wonderful USA!” he wrote earlier this month. The pledge was later reinstated by the city council.
Brad Parscale, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, said in April that his team was building a huge database of voters to help win states like Minnesota.
“I can flip that state,” Parscale told CBS. He also listed Colorado, New Mexico, New Hampshire, and Nevada as states the campaign is eying, adding, “I think they’re open for 2020.”