Rep. Ilhan Omar, the controversial freshman Minnesota congresswoman, has given herself a new nickname: President Trump’s “biggest nemesis.”
“This is a president who has come to power vilifying and demonizing immigrants and refugees. He proudly said we should halt Muslims from entering our country. It’s not a surprise that he finds his biggest nemesis in me,” Omar said in a tweet Monday.
Omar attached to the tweet a link to a Huffington Post article where she said Trump tries to use her to marginalize Muslims.
“He clearly has a disdain for black women who see themselves as equal to him. And so, for many people, it’s not a surprise that he finds his biggest nemesis in me,” Omar said in the interview published Monday morning.
“Clearly, I am a nightmare ― because he can’t stop really thinking about ways that he can continue to use my identity to marginalize our communities,” Omar said.
Omar’s comments came after the president attacked the congresswoman for referring to 9/11 as “some people did something.” Trump tweeted a video of her comments spliced between graphic video images of the twin towers burning down during 9/11 with the caption: “WE WILL NEVER FORGET!”
WE WILL NEVER FORGET! pic.twitter.com/VxrGFRFeJM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019
Trump promised during the 2016 election campaign to pass a travel ban on certain Muslim-majority countries after deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., killed 14 people, perpetuated by an ISIS-inspired couple. Once elected, Trump enacted the travel ban almost immediately using executive order. A modified version of the original ban was eventually upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
In April, Omar, who is a Muslim refugee from Somalia, introduced a bill which would repeal Trump’s travel ban.
“I ran on a promise to end the President’s hateful Muslim ban. And tomorrow we will introduce a bill do just that. No one should be denied basic rights because of their religion, race or national origin,” Omar said in a tweet announcing the introduction of the bill.
I ran on a promise to end the President’s hateful Muslim ban.
And tomorrow we will introduce a bill do just that. No one should be denied basic rights because of their religion, race or national origin. #NoBanAct ✊?
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 9, 2019
