What A Day - Why Is Trump So Obsessed With Rep. Ilhan Omar

Episode Date: December 18, 2025

President Trump has made multiple xenophobic comments about Somali immigrants over the past few weeks, following the findings of an investigation into social services fraud in Minnesota. Many of those arrested were of Somali origin or background — but since the President just pardoned a CEO convicted for fraud, it’s hard to believe he’s really concerned about the, you know, fraud. His remarks really indicate he’s much more interested in being racist – especially towards Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has come up repeatedly in the President’s rants. We spoke to Representative Omar about the President’s attacks against her and the Somali American community, her work in Congress, and whether healthcare really can be saved before the new year.And in headlines, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr fails at basic communication during a Senate oversight meeting, the Senate passes a ginormous $901 billion defense bill, and one of the two right-wing podcasters running the FBI is leaving the job in January.Show Notes: Call Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's Thursday, December 18th. I'm Jane Koston, and this is what a day. The show noting that President Donald Trump spent more time in the last week making new insulting plaques for the photographs of his predecessors than he has on trying to ensure millions of Americans can afford their health care coverage. On today's show, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr fails at basic communication during a Senate oversight meeting. And one of the two right-wing podcasters running the FBI is leaving. Hint, his name rhymes with fan of Reno. But let's start with immigration. Well, sort of. The Trump administration has purportedly been laser-focused on the problem of illegal immigration.

But time and time again, it's been pretty clear to me that President Trump and the federal government are more focused on immigrants of any kind from non-white countries. For one thing, the administration has increased the number of countries. included in its total and partial travel ban, adding places like Laos, Sierra Leone, and Tonga, for reasons I'm sure are very normal and good. For another thing, there's the president's obsessive and repulsive comments about Somali immigrants following recent investigations into social services fraud in Minnesota. Many of those arrested were of Somali origin or background, but I'm guessing that the same president who pardoned a CEO convicted for fraud doesn't really care about, you know, fraud.

He does, however, care about being racist. especially, it seems, towards Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar. Here's CBS News's Nancy Cordes summarizing Trump's remarks about the Congresswoman in Pennsylvania last week, during a speech that was supposed to be about affordability. But President Trump's speech in the Poconos is getting more attention for the grievances he aired about Democrat Ilhan Omar. She comes in, there's nothing but bitch. About her head covering. With a little ching, the little turban.

And about the country of her birth, Somalia. Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime. Why is it we only take people from all countries? What a terrible person. Trump's remarks about Representative Omar made it very clear to me how little his immigration agenda has anything to do with the economy or security and how much it has to do with animus. I spoke to Representative Omar on Wednesday about the attacks against her

and the Somali American community, her work in Congress, and whether health care really can be saved before the new. year. Representative Omar, welcome to what today. Thank you so much for having me. We're talking to you on Wednesday evening after four GOP representatives broke ranks to force a vote on extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for another three years. This vote, of course, wouldn't happen until the new year. Is it too late to save health care? Well, we're hoping that this vote actually happens either tomorrow or Friday. It is unconscionable that we have 218 members of the House ready to vote. to save health care, that we would actually recess without doing so.

So our hope is that Speaker Mike Johnson would waive the seven days and allow for this vote to come to the floor. Chances that happens? Well, it did happen with the Epstein Discharge Petition, and we know that not just this floor Republicans that are on the discharge petition, but that there are more Republicans who really want this vote and who want. want to work with us to save health care for so many American people, including their constituents. Yeah, it's interesting to me that while there are Republicans who are really focused on issues

like health care, President Trump has been like, not at all. He's been checked out and has turned his ire to you. Yeah, it's a wild thing. It is a wild thing. Like earlier this month, Trump delivered a banana's racist rant against Somali immigrants during a cabinet meeting, during which he specifically mentioned you. What was your first reaction when you first heard the president's comments? Why are you even thinking about me? I mean, it was a cabinet meeting. There were a lot of things to report back on.

Nobody asked the question about me. Nobody brought up my name. And so I just don't understand how I remain living rent-free in the president's head. It's just, it's a wild thing to experience when you are one of 535 members of Congress. and you don't actually have any interactions with this person who's constantly thinking about you. And, you know, your name comes to the forefront of his thoughts so quickly. It's just a really bizarre, creepy obsession that he's developed. And I hope it goes away soon.

Around the same time, the president is saying all of this. Immigration and customs enforcement began operations in the Twin Cities area. What are you hearing from your constituents about ICE activities over the past two weeks? I mean, it's just been a complete horror. We have seen a documented slew of attacks by ice that has really terrorized and crippled our community. We've seen documented videos of a young man who was on a lunch break, eating at a restaurant, an American citizen, being pushed to the ground, manhandled, handcuffed, detained for several hours. and then be told to walk back home. We've seen a woman who was picked up in Minneapolis,

detained for 24 hours, told that her documents couldn't be verified, and her parents had to go and actually take her passport to get her released. There's now a new video, I think, from yesterday, where pregnant woman is pushed to the ground, kneeled upon, and dragged, like a rag through the streets of Minneapolis by ICE agents. The level of lawlessness, the level of cruelty is just unmeasurable. And I'm just so heartbroken that today in 2025 in America, we have Americans being treated this way by their own government.

And you talked about your son actually being pulled over by ICE agents last weekend. The Department of Homeland Security responded on Twitter saying that there is no record of this stop and saying that your statement was a, quote, PR stunt, but I'm more back on how many records of stops are you keeping? And how are you keeping those records? If you are stopping someone, they show you their passport ID and then you tell them have a nice day, where is the record keeping happening? So it's just, it's all of these lies. We know that the incident that happened in California when they broke in to the car of a U.S. citizen who's also a veteran, dragged him to the floor, which was caught on camera.

They claimed that he'd assaulted them, even though they did not file charges after holding him for 72 hours and he's now suing them. So ICE can never really be trusted. Homeland Security has never put out an accurate statement in a really long time without actually, you know, being PRE about it. And we know that every accusation from this administration is a confession. Yeah. And I think it's so striking to me. the degree of animus, especially against Somali Americans, including second generation, third generation, Somali Americans, who are such a prominent community in Minnesota. And this most recent wave of attention, I guess we're going to call it, from Trump, was brought on by an investigation that found that a group of Minnesotans, many of them Somali, committed fraud using state welfare programs. How has that revelation affected the very large Somali community in the state, especially since Somali Minnesotans are state? taxpayers too. Yeah, it's been really hurtful and painful to see people be so greedy that they

lose sight of the fact that these are dollars that are supposed to go feed hungry children. And so we're also angry in the way that every Minnesotaan should be angry at the just disgusting actions of these criminals who have not only defrauded our state, but has taken something that is supposed to go for the most vulnerable among us. Earlier this month, the Trump administration did announce an investigation into whether any of that money that was stolen from Minnesotans ended up with the Somalia-based terrorist group Al-Shabaab. What do you make of those claims? Yeah, I mean, they make this claim without providing a single evidence.

Many of the people who have been indicted have already had their cases adjudicated in court. many of them are serving those sentences. And so you would have assumed that one of those investigations would have included some of the elements of the accusation that they're making about aiding and abetting a terrorist organization. And we haven't seen any evidence of that. I have not seen or read any case file that obtains any of those things. It has a racist undertone, Islamophobia undertone, sinophobia, undertone when you are like, oh, I see Somalis. connected to Somalia back home, they must be connected to terrorism because for most of us, we have relatives, we have friends, people that we grew up with when we were younger in Somalia.

Many of us have experienced personally what that terror looks like and are always interested in making sure that there is no contribution from Minnesotans in furthering the terror that Somalis in Somalia are experiencing. How has the Somali community in Minnesota been responding to all of this? I've seen some amazing TikToks, but like you're facing ice in the streets and a very hostile spotlight. But also the Somali community in Minnesota has been growing and growing in prominence. What's that been like? Yeah, I mean, most of us have been in Minnesota, you know, 20, 30 or more years.

So the Somali community really is very much well integrated into society there. Many of us are naturalized citizens or were born here, nearly 60% of Somali, Minnesotans are born in the United States. And so a lot of them have been preparing themselves because we understand what dictatorship looks like. And so many of us were afraid that this president, if he was elected, that he was going to behave in a very dictatorship-like way. And so a lot of people got their documents in order, you know, young people. People like my son have their passport IDs so that it's just easily accessible. They don't have to deal with anything. You know, if ice comes to their window, they can just show it to them and then get that

have a nice day and not have any further interaction. And so people are showing up prepared in that way. And then people are also showing up to document these ice rates to protect one another. There's a lot of community that is sharing information on know your rights and there's a lot of trainings that are happening. So it's just been really beautiful to see the level of resistance, the level of unity, and the incredibly warm way in which Minnesotans have shown up to protect each other in this very vulnerable time. Representative Omar, thank you so much for taking the time. Thank you so much for having me. This was wonderful. That was my conversation with

Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review and up a podcast. podcast, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a day is brought to you by bookshop.org. Where you shop for books matters. When you purchase from bookshop.org, you're supporting more than 2,500 local independent bookstores across the country. Independent bookstores do more than sell books. They take care of and pour back into their communities, creating safe spaces that foster culture, curiosity, and a love of reading. Whether you're searching for an incisive history that helps you make sense of this moment, a novel that sweeps you away, or the perfect gift for a loved one, bookshop.org.

Use code Wad to get 10% off your next order at bookshop.org. Here's what else we're following today. Yes or no, and please, yes or no, is the FCC an independent agency? Senator, thanks for that question. Yes or no is all we need, sir. Yes or no, is it independent? Well, there's a test for this in the law, in the key portion of that test. Yes or no, Brendan?

The key portion of that test is. Okay, I'm going to go to Commissioner Trustee. So just so you know, Brendan, on your website, it just simply says, man, the FCC is independent. This isn't a trick question. Okay, the FCC is not, is not. Is it not an independent? Is your website wrong? Is your website line? Possibly. The FCC is not an independent agency.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr got into it with New Mexico Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan on Wednesday over what should have been the simplest question of the day. Carr testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the first FCC oversight hearing with all commissioners present in more than five years. He faced tough questions from lawmakers over the investigations he's launched into the country's biggest broadcasters. his easy way or hard way threat to ABC after Jimmy Kimmel commented on the rights reaction to Charlie Kirk's killing

and even Trump's tone-deaf truth social post about Robin Michelle Singer-Raner's deaths and a general car managed to answer for as little as possible, which is why Yuge think that he'd at least be able to give a simple yes or no to Senator Lujan, especially when he had the FCC website as a cheat sheet. If I could just submit the printout of the home page of the FCC into the record, and says it's an independent agency, and if it's not true, then change it? Well, guess what? It did. Reportedly just minutes after Carr's exchange with Lujan.

The FCC's mission statement now does not include the word independent. Perfect. Fixed it. The Senate passed a ginormous $901 billion defense bill Wednesday, locking in a pay raise for troops while escalating a standoff with the Trump administration over its military campaign near Venezuela. For scale, let's compare that number to the Stymid health care debate. According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget,

the extension of the Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies would cost only about $60 billion over two years. But I digress. The Annual National Defense Authorization Act cleared the Senate 77 to 20 with bipartisan support. The bill authorizes a 3.8% raise for service members and sends additional aid to Ukraine. It also contains some Trump specials like cuts to diversity and climate programs in the military.

But lawmakers also use the bill to apply some pressure to a little boy slash secretary of war Pete Hegsef. Specifically to turn over on edited video and orders related to U.S. strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats near Venezuela. How? By threatening to withhold part of Pete's travel budget until he complies. It's sort of like when your parents ground you and take away your keys for missing curfew, except in Pete's case, it's for alleged war crimes. Imagine going to Washington, D.C., with high hopes of draining the swamp only for the swamp to drain you after just nine months. That appears to be the case for FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, who tweeted Wednesday, quote,

I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. He did continue, quote, I want to thank, but then I heard the Oscars orchestra playing him off in my head. The tweet came after an MS Now report Wednesday that said Bongino had emptied out his office and told associates he intends to step down early in year. Bonjino, a former Secret Service agent and staunch Trump ally, ironically rose to prominence in right-wing media during the Biden years by pushing conspiracy theories about the FBI. But after joining the Bureau himself and failing to prove the wacky shit he'd promoted on his podcast, from what he said would be in the Epstein files to laws about the 2020 election, many of his supporters on the right became disillusioned with him. According to Trump on Wednesday, Dan wants to slink back

to said supporters. I think he wants to go back to his show. the show where, as he told Fox News host Sean Hannity earlier this month, he can be paid for his opinions and conspiracy theorizing again. Don't trip on your way back to your safe space, Danny Boy. Former Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith testified in a closed-door hearing with the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. According to a copy of his opening statement obtained by the Associated Press, Smith told lawmakers that he and his team of investigators, quote,

developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump criminally conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election. And despite attempts by Trump and the GOP to smear Smith, he stood on business and told the committee that he would, quote, prosecute a former president based on the same facts today. Smith volunteered earlier this year to testify in front of the Judiciary Committee in an open hearing, but his lawyers say that congressional Republicans rejected that offer. So what's the GOP's game plan here?

Maryland Democratic representative and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Jamie Raskin, told reporters his theory. Just what I say, the Chairman Jordan made an excellent decision in not allowing Jack Smith to testify publicly, because had he done so, it would have been absolutely devastating to the president and all the president's men involved in the insurrectionary activities of January the 6th. And that's the news. Before we go, by now, you've heard about the terrible Bondi Beach terror attack in Australia. If you want to understand the global context around that violence and what it reveals about rising extremism and political opportunism, check out Pod Save the World. This week, Tommy and Ben break down how world leaders are responding, where bad faith narratives are taking hold, and what else is quietly reshaping the global stage, from Trump's foreign policy

moves to major elections abroad. Listen to Pod Save the World wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review. Don't buy a venomous pit viper and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, and not just about how Chinese fans of Zootopia 2 are buying pit vipers, like the character Gary DeSnake, in droves, like me, what a day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston, and again, do not buy a venomous pit viper because you saw one in a Disney movie. What a day is a production of Crooked Media.

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