Full Breakdown
Trump’s Social-Media Post Sparks Outcry Over Anti-Somali Rhetoric in Minnesota
7/11/2026, 6:13:44 AM
The Controversial Post
In early July 2026, President Donald Trump reposted a 14-second video on his Truth Social platform that showed kindergarten graduates from Gateway STEM Academy, a St. Paul charter school with a majority-Somali enrollment. The clip, originally aired by Somali TV of Minnesota, displayed children in blue caps, robes and rainbow-lettered stoles. Trump added a caption taken from the “End Wokeness” account: “Every girl is in a hijab … in kindergarten.” The post was shared twice, the second time with the added caption, and quickly circulated to a global audience.
Community Response at Karmel Mall
On July 9, 2026, interfaith and community leaders gathered at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis to denounce the politicization of the children. Speakers included Imam Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America; Malika Dahir, executive director of Reviving Sisterhood; Terri Burnor, Unitarian Universalist minister; and Minneapolis City Council Vice President Jamal Osman. The assembly framed the incident as part of a broader pattern of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim hostility that has included threatening voicemails, a school-bus fire in May, and recent remarks by Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher linking a small number of Somali youths to more than a dozen homicides.
Key Voices
- Imam Yusuf Abdulle – warned that the president’s rhetoric could legitimize violence against Muslim children.
- Malika Dahir – emphasized that children should be a “red line” and not political symbols.
- Jamal Osman – stressed that Somali youth deserve dignity and investment, not stereotyping.
- Governor Tim Walz – condemned the post as an attack on children because of their clothing.
- Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Minnesota chapter – warned that the post placed the school and its students at security risk.
Official Statements & Responses
Governor Walz tweeted that the president was “attacking a group of kindergarteners because of the clothes they wore to school.” The Minnesota CAIR chapter echoed this concern, stating the image “exposed both the children and their school to potential security risks” after being shared worldwide. Gateway STEM Academy executive director Mohamed Ahmed declined interview requests but issued a statement reaffirming the school’s focus on a “safe, student-centered learning environment” and the well-being of its families.
Criticism & Opposition
Leaders described the post as the latest episode in a “pattern” of hostility toward Somali Americans. They linked the incident to prior incidents: a school-bus fire in May following a federal raid on daycare and autism-resource centers, and a surge in threatening voicemail messages to community members. Abdisalam Adam, principal of East African Elementary Magnet School, warned that “lumping the Somali community together and naming everything Somali is a big problem that we need to call out.” Sheriff Fletcher’s comments about Somali gang activity were labeled “disappointing” by Council Vice President Osman, who called for investment rather than stereotyping.
Why It Matters
The controversy highlights how national political rhetoric can influence local perceptions of immigrant communities, potentially affecting the self-confidence and sense of belonging of Somali youth in Minnesota. Community leaders argue that framing children as symbols risks escalating harassment and undermines efforts to integrate Somali families into broader American society.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The highest level of our government is attacking children. Imagine that,” — Imam Yusuf Abdulle, Islamic Association of North America
- “Children should be our red line,” — Malika Dahir, Reviving Sisterhood
- “When the president says these things, he legitimizes these things to other people,” — Imam Yusuf Abdulle
- “Somali youth deserve investment, dignity, opportunity and respect — not public officials using their platform to stereotype them,” — Jamal Osman, Minneapolis City Council Vice President
- “The President of the United States is attacking a group of kindergarteners because of the clothes they wore to school,” — Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota
The gathering at Karmel Mall underscores a call for unity across faiths and political lines, urging that children be protected from “anti-human” rhetoric and its possible real-world consequences.
