(This story contains language that some readers may find offensive)
By Bianca Flowers, James Oliphant, David Hood-Nuño and Joseph Axe
WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – During a closed-door meeting at the White House in his first term, President Donald Trump demanded to know why the U.S. accepts immigrants from “bad countries” like Haiti and some African nations, remarks widely reported at the time by Reuters and other media outlets.
Outrage followed. Lawmakers, including some Republicans, condemned the language as offensive. Even Trump tried to do damage control, denying in a social media post that he had used those words.
During a televised cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump reacted to reports of government fraud in Minnesota’s large Somali pockets, calling immigrants there “garbage” and saying he wanted to send them “back to where they came from.”
This time, Republican members of Congress remained quiet. Vice President JD Vance nodded his agreement, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized Trump’s remarks as “amazing” and an “epic moment.”
The response underscored that Trump’s racial views are no longer seen as out of bounds by some of his allies and supporters. Civil rights advocates and researchers say his comments have become increasingly bold, normalized and politically permissible.
“Racism is no longer a dog whistle in America. We are dehumanizing and targeting people,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, a group that pushes for better voter access for marginalized and predominantly black communities.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that President Trump was right to highlight the problems caused by “Somali radical migrants.”
“While the media feigns outrage, Americans who have suffered from these schemes will celebrate the president’s comments and strong support for American citizens,” Jackson said.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week that his agency is investigating allegations that Minnesota dollars were diverted to Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militant group.
Trump has a long history of racist rhetoric, particularly against black immigrants. He propelled himself into national politics by promoting the bogus conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama, a Democrat, was not born in the United States.
Critics say that as president, Trump has implemented policies that mirror his rhetoric, particularly a crackdown on immigration.
On Wednesday, Trump doubled down on his comments, telling reporters in the Oval Office that Somalia “is considered by many to be the worst country on earth” and accusing Somali immigrants of “destroying the 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 militant groups like the Islamic State could use them to stoke anti-American sentiment abroad.
THE RHETORIC OF ESCALATION
Alvin Tillery, a political science professor at Northwestern University, said Trump’s use of the presidential bully pulpit as a platform for racist commentary is “absolutely unique” in the modern era and goes beyond the rhetoric of former Republican presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, who were often criticized for making what many saw as thinly veiled racial overtones.
“They’ve never come close to this kind of hateful rhetoric targeting communities of color or minority groups,” Tillery said. “It’s very dangerous.”
In many ways, Trump’s immigration policies echo his policy statements. He has blocked virtually all new refugees except white South Africans, who he falsely claims are the target of a “white genocide”.
Masked federal officers have used aggressive tactics in immigration operations across the country and have been criticized for detaining people who simply look Latino or speak Spanish.
In recent days, Trump has escalated his rhetoric and immigration restrictions following the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC. The suspected shooter, an Afghan national who came to the U.S. under a program for Afghans who aided U.S. forces during the war in their country, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other crimes.
In response, the White House announced it was suspending immigration applications from 19 non-European countries.
Immigration remains one of Trump’s strongest issues, although Reuters/Ipsos polls show his net approval rating on the topic has gone from plus-7 in January to minus-10 in mid-November. However, analysts say it gives him leverage at a time when broader support for his policies is faltering.
“It’s easy to scapegoat immigrants and say they’re the reason for all these problems,” said Melik Abdul, a Republican strategist and political commentator who supports Trump.
LANGUAGE CARRIES RISKS
Historians say there are risks to black people when authorities use racist rhetoric. In October, leaked political caucuses revealed racist, anti-Semitic and violent rhetoric among young Republican leaders, fueling concerns that hate speech has become normalized in American politics.
Trump’s comments on Tuesday alarmed Minnesota’s sizable Somali-American community amid news of possible federal immigration raids there. In 2024, 76,000 people of Somali descent lived in Minnesota, according to the US Census Bureau; more than half were born in the United States.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota Council on American-Islamic Relations, told Reuters that many members of the community — including some who voted for Trump last year — now fear for their safety, far beyond concerns about immigration enforcement.
Last year, after Trump suggested during a nationally televised presidential debate that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets, threats to that community increased, businesses closed and many legal Haitian residents left the city.
Trump also attacked U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who came to the U.S. as a Somali refugee as a child and is a naturalized citizen. He also called her “garbage” on Tuesday and said on Wednesday that she “should be thrown the hell out of our country.”
“The president has always had very bigoted, xenophobic, Islamophobic comments when it comes to people of the Muslim faith or people of color,” Omar told Reuters on Wednesday. “I’ve seen him call African nations stupid so it’s not really surprising.”
(Reporting by Bianca Flowers, James Oliphant and David Hood-Nuno; Additional reporting by JC Whittington and Andy Sullivan; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Craig Timberg, Kat Stafford and Diane Craft)