Story perspectives

Trump Urges Minnesotans to “Fight Back” Somali Immigrants

By Drooid · Oct 9, 2026, 6:09 AM UTC · How we work

Left

Professors decry dogwhistle

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Oct. 8, 2026, urging Minnesotans to “fight back” against Somali immigrants.
Law professors Khaled Beydoun and Ian Haney López called the “Mohammed” naming a dog-whistle exploiting anti-Muslim bias.
Trump referred to Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as “Mohammed” in the Truth Social post.
A Mitchell poll released Oct. 6 showed El-Sayed ahead of Republican Mike Rogers 45.6% to 41.4% in Michigan.

Right

Trump cites ISIS plot

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Oct. 8, 2026, urging Minnesotans to “fight back” against Somali immigrants.
Trump’s warning was tied to an ISIS-inspired plot by an 18-year-old Somali-American and an FBI sting stopped a Mall of America mass-shooting.
Trump called Governor Tim Walz an “incompetent thief” and urged officials to request federal assistance.
Vice President JD Vance leads a task force investigating fraud allegations in Minnesota’s federal programs.

History

Historical Context

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act 45 days later; the Senate approved it by a 98-1 vote, expanding federal surveillance and prompting ACLU lawsuits. Trump’s October 8, 2026 Truth Social call for Minnesotans to “fight back” against Somali immigrants echoes that post-9/11 rhetoric, reviving longstanding civil-rights and national security concerns.

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Professors decry dogwhistle

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Oct. 8, 2026, urging Minnesotans to “fight back” against Somali immigrants.
Law professors Khaled Beydoun and Ian Haney López called the “Mohammed” naming a dog-whistle exploiting anti-Muslim bias.
Trump referred to Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as “Mohammed” in the Truth Social post.
A Mitchell poll released Oct. 6 showed El-Sayed ahead of Republican Mike Rogers 45.6% to 41.4% in Michigan.

1 / 3