US Representative Ilhan Omar has described former President Donald Trump's relentless targeting of her as a "really unhealthy and creepy obsession," linking his rhetoric directly to a sharp increase in death threats against her.
A Zen-like Calm Amidst a Storm of Hate
In her Capitol Hill office, accompanied by her husband Tim Mynett and their Labrador, Teddy, the Minnesota Democrat displayed a composed demeanour belying the intense scrutiny and danger she faces. Omar receives the highest level of death threats of any member of Congress, a situation she says plummeted during President Joe Biden's term but has surged again with Trump's return to the political forefront.
The immediate catalyst was a rally in Pennsylvania where Trump mocked Omar's hijab and resurrected the long-debunked claim that the Somali-born congresswoman married her brother to gain citizenship. "She should get the hell out," Trump told supporters, who chanted "Send her back!"
"They're vile," Omar told The Guardian, dismissing the allegations. "Everybody knows I came to the United States at the age of 12 on a refugee status and became a citizen when I was 17." She characterised Trump's focus as a deliberate deflection from his policy failures, particularly on the cost of living. "Cue the bigotry. It's the same playbook," she stated.
The Tangible Consequences of Dehumanising Rhetoric
The correlation between inflammatory political speech and real-world violence is a stark reality for Omar and her family. During Trump's first term, the threats became so severe that the US government mandated a full six-person security detail for her after identifying a specific plot.
Her husband, Tim Mynett, revealed that undercover operatives had infiltrated racist online forums to protect her. "That is to me one of the essences of what America is," he said, while condemning the national focus on such attacks.
The data underscores a worrying trend. In 2024, the US Capitol Police investigated 9,474 threats against members of Congress, more than double the 3,939 cases in 2017. The personal toll is profound; Omar's friend, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, was murdered in June. "When you have the president using dehumanising language every single day, we know that message gets to the worst humans possible," Omar reflected.
Scapegoating a Community and Undermining Democracy
Trump's attacks have expanded beyond Omar to target the wider Somali community. He recently labelled Minnesota Somalis as "garbage" and linked immigration crackdowns to fraud cases involving some individuals from the community.
Omar fiercely rejected this scapegoating. Of the approximately 260,000 Somalis in the US, nearly 60% are US-born, and 87% of foreign-born Somalis are naturalised citizens. "I don't believe a majority of Americans agree just because one person who shares an ethnicity with you does something that you then be held accountable," she argued.
She described aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota, with people being "slammed to the ground, handcuffed, detained for hours." She credits her community's resilience, born from experience with authoritarianism, for its vigilant response.
Omar also expressed deep concern for America's international standing and democratic institutions. Trump's behaviour, she said, presents as "a national embarrassment but as an international embarrassment." While believing democracy will survive, she warned it is in a "very fragile" state, exposed to the weaknesses a "dictatorship-like ruler" can exploit.
Despite the onslaught, Omar remains focused on her congressional duties, fighting for healthcare, climate action, and against draconian immigration policies. Drawing lessons from recent progressive electoral wins, she emphasised that authenticity and addressing voters' real-life concerns are the path to success. Her husband, Mynett, summarised her fortitude: "I've never met one that could handle it better than my wife."
