A resurfaced clip of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a member of the progressive “Squad,” ignited a firestorm on social media this week, as conservatives slammed her for past remarks about the “radicalization of White men.”
“I would say our country should be more fearful of White men across our country, because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country,” Omar told Middle East outlet Al-Jazeera in 2018 as she discussed domestic terrorism threats in the United States and in response to a question on how much concern “jihadism” poses to the United States.
“And so if fear was the driving force of policies to keep America safe, Americans safe inside of this country, we should be profiling, monitoring, and creating policies to fight the radicalization of white men,” she added.
Her race-tinged and wholly inaccurate remarks, which were re-posted by conservative influencer accounts including Laura Loomer and LibsofTikTok, racking up millions of views, sparked outrage from conservatives on social media, including from inside the White House.
“This isn’t just sick; it’s actually genocidal language,” Vice President JD Vance posted on X. “What a disgrace this person is.”
“This is blatant racism,” GOP Sen. Mike Lee posted on X. “Who condemns it?”
“@ilhanMN never ceases to be an embarrassment for Minnesota,” GOP Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, posted on X.
“There’s never been a more anti-American member of Congress than Ilhan Omar,” conservative influencer Paul Szypula wrote on X.
Omar’s office responded to a media inquiry by pointing Fox News Digital to her X post where she responded to Vance.
“In this nearly 8yr old clip, I am referring to the rise of white nationalism in an annual report issued by the Anti-Defamation League that said white supremacists were responsible for 78 percent of “extremist-related murders,” Omar said. “PS you should look up what ‘genocidal’ actually means when you’re actively supporting a genocide taking place in Gaza.”
Omar was referring to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas after the terrorist group, based in Gaza, launched a surprise attack against the Jewish state in October 2023, massacring more than 1,300 people and taking more than 200 people hostage — many of whom have been killed while in captivity.
Also, Omar has a history of anti-Semitism which has been condemned by Jewish members of her own party.
First-term GOP Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas in February called on the Trump administration to send Omar back to her homeland of Somalia.
“America would be a better place if @IlhanMN were deported back to Somalia,” Gill wrote Tuesday on the X platform.
Included in Gill’s tweet was a video clip featuring Omar, where she appears to be coaching fellow Somalis living in the U.S. — perhaps illegally — how to resist federal immigration officials.
The video was posted by conservative influencer Greg Price, who wrote: “Ilhan Omar is now hosting workshops for Somalians living in the country illegally to advise them on how to avoid being deported.”
