Dem
47
GOP
53
If "less inclusion" is the yin, then "more exclusion" is the yang. And in this case, we are absolutely confident that the goal is to pander to white voters in advance of the 2026 elections.
As we have written before, one of the biggest challenges of Donald Trump's style of leadership—demagoguery—is that there's a constant need for new scapegoats. For example, when was the last time you heard him talk about MS-13 or the border wall? Those things have largely lost their salience, in part because he clearly has no real ability to do anything about MS-13 or the border wall.
This week, at a rally in Minnesota, Trump unveiled a new bugaboo. Actually, it's an old bugaboo, but he's been leaning into it in a manner not previously seen from him. The new target is Somali-Americans in general, and Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN) in particular. It is true that they, and she, are somewhat evergreen targets because they are both brown and Muslim. But Trump's remarks this week, both at a Cabinet meeting and at one of his rallies, could—and please be assured we do not write this lightly—have come right from the mouth of Adolf Hitler. The man who ostensibly represents all Americans described Omar as "garbage" and said that Somalia "stinks and we don't want them in our country," while also adding that Somalia itself is "barely a country."
Incidentally, in case you are thinking about your 2028 presidential vote, when J.D. Vance heard Trump say those things, he pounded the table and applauded. Based on the ample evidence available to us, we think that when Trump says these hateful things about Somalis (and other non-white people), he really means it. On the other hand, Vance is married to a woman who is both brown and Hindu, and before he was MAGA, he behaved decently toward people. So, our guess is that he doesn't really believe it, he's just performing for the benefit of Trump and of the base. Truth be told, we're not 100% sure which is worse, someone who is speaking hateful words, or someone whose lust for power is so great they are willing to pretend they believe those hateful words.
ICE has already gotten the news that Somalis are the target du jour (we'd guess Stephen Miller broke the land speed record rushing to his phone, so he could communicate that to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her underlings). So, ICE has been patrolling the Somali-heavy neighborhoods of Minneapolis. As per usual, being a citizen affords no protection if you have the wrong "look."
Not only do we have a pretty good idea as to what the goal is here, we also have a pretty good idea as to what "inspired" Team Trump to shift its focus to Somali-Americans. Last Friday, a confrontation between a couple of Somali-Americans and a Cinnabon employee named Crystal Wilsey in a small town in Wisconsin was caught on video. It's a little unclear what set things off, but Wilsey was very angry that she was being filmed, so she responded by proudly proclaiming that "I am a racist," making an obscene gesture, and slurring the two Somalis with the racial slur you are never supposed to use, particularly on camera. Wilsey was fired and immediately became the focal point of a lot of "When did it become a crime to be white?" carping; she's since received donations well north of $100,000.
Do you really think it's a coincidence that within 48 hours of Wilsey going viral, Trump and his underlings were leaning into hatred of Somali Americans? We certainly don't. In effect, the response to Wilsey was like a focus group poll—this is the kind of thing YOUR voters want to hear. It is abundantly clear, from the election results of the last few weeks, not to mention approval ratings, that Trump and his movement are losing right now. And he's doing the only things he knows to do in order to try to flip the script. But things are likely to get worse for him and for MAGA. And when they do, particularly if devastating losses in the midterms appear to be imminent, he's going to get worse and worse. If and when he does, heaven help us all, but in particular those he would scapegoat. (Z)