Somalia’s prime minister has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s latest derogatory remarks about Somalia and Somali immigrants, urging his nation to ignore the provocation. Hamza Abdi Barre told an innovation summit in Istanbul that Trump frequently targets various countries, saying it was wiser to “move on” rather than fuel hostility.
Trump had accused Somali Americans of draining resources in Minnesota, claiming they contributed “nothing” and insisting he did not want them in the US. He went on to argue that Somalia “stinks,” adding that the US would head “the wrong way” if it continued allowing what he called “garbage” into the country.
The former president has long used inflammatory rhetoric against immigrants, often portraying arrivals from certain nations as criminals or burdens on American society. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned Trump’s comments, praising Somali Americans for building a vibrant community shaped by resilience after fleeing civil war.
Walz accused Trump of demonising people who, he said, had strengthened both Minnesota and the wider United States through hard work and cultural contribution.
Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, Ali Omar, said it had become “too easy” for some political figures to use Somalia as a distraction from their own failures. He called the narrative “false” and “an insult” to Somalia’s endurance, urging citizens to protect their dignity and reject attempts to turn their nation into a political pawn.