US President Donald Trump said he was “never particularly attracted” to his sisters while delivering a speech in Daytona Beach on Friday, where he mocked Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar over allegations of marriage fraud involving her brother.
The 80-year-old told the rally: “I did not marry my sister! I had two lovely, lovely (sisters). I have one left, Elizabeth; she’s great. But I have never proposed to them.” He added: “They’re beautiful, but I was never – I was never particularly attracted to either of them. It’s not my deal.”
Social Media Reaction
Social media users responded with shock and criticism. Some asked “What is wrong with him?” while others shared clips of Trump saying in 2006, “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”
@RichardHanania on X said Trump is “genuinely losing it”, and @CaitlinKellyNYC said that “voting for this is insanity”. @irespectonline said: “what is he rambling about – why do they let him speak”. “Disgusting and repulsive talk”, tweeted @alialqaisa68.
Family Background
Trump’s eldest sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, an attorney and former United States federal judge, died in November 2023 aged 86 from cancer. His second sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau, 84, worked as an administrative assistant before retiring to Florida. Elizabeth is now Trump’s only living sibling, following the deaths of his older brother, pilot Fred Trump Jr., in 1981 at 42, and business executive Robert Trump in 2020. Elizabeth worked in banking and was married to film producer James Grau until his death in 2023.
Omar Allegations
Trump’s remarks revive years of claims that Omar, a progressive Democrat, 44, married her brother to commit immigration fraud. Currently married to Tim Mynett, Omar, a Somali immigrant, was first investigated under Barack Obama’s presidency after evidence suggested a sham marriage with someone who appeared to be her sibling. Omar has denied that Ahmed Elmi, her husband from 2009 to 2017, is her brother or that they wed for a green card. The Department of Justice opened a probe, and federal agents executed a search warrant at her Washington, D.C., home earlier this month. At the rally, Trump sarcastically called Omar “one of [his] favourite congresspeople” and someone he has “great respect for”.
This follows his confrontation with Reuters reporter Jacob Bogage on Thursday, when Trump called him “sick” for asking if he was tired of travelling, and ridiculed the journalist’s physique. The midterm elections are scheduled for November 3.
