Mara Eliasson

And this does come, as you say, at a time when there's this big financial scandal in Minnesota.

Federal prosecutors have convicted or indicted dozens of people

for defrauding social services funding totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Most of those convicted are of Somali descent.

The vast majority of Somalis in the Minneapolis region are U.S.

citizens.

But the situation has provided the chance for Trump to attack Omar and the entire Somali community.

And here's what he said.

I think this has been a tried and true tactic for him over the last 10 years, these nativist attacks.

I think they attract attention.

They can distract from problems he's having.

He denigrated Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals during the 2024 campaign.

He and J.D.

Vance

repeated false rumors that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs?

I think that's right.

His approval ratings are low.

His base is solid.

But independents give him a 25 percent approval rating.

And Republicans are going to need those independent voters in the 2026 elections.