In a lengthy and incendiary address in Detroit, former President Donald Trump launched a series of racist attacks, threatened a sitting congresswoman with imprisonment, and made baseless claims about protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Unfounded Claims and Racist Rhetoric
The speech, delivered to the Detroit Economic Club on January 13, 2026, came just days after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Trump dismissed the ensuing public outcry, labelling the demonstrations as "fake riots" orchestrated by "professional troublemakers."
He specifically referenced a woman seen in video footage shouting "shame" at the agent involved. "It's all practiced. They take hotel rooms and they all practice together. It's a whole scam," Trump asserted without providing any evidence to support his claims.
Direct Threat Against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar
In one of the speech's most alarming segments, Trump directly targeted Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota with a racially charged threat. "We intend to imprison any fraudster politician or public official involved in these sick plots to loot and pillage our country," he declared, adding, "Think of that, Ilhan Omar."
He proceeded to mock her heritage, falsely stating she "lives in Somalia" and disparaging the country. Putting on a mocking impression, he claimed she said, "I have a constitutional right to rip off the country." Trump concluded by calling her a "total scam artist." There is no public evidence to suggest Representative Omar is involved in any fraud.
Illegal Pledge and 'Native Spirit' Slogan
Trump further escalated his rhetoric by threatening to strip US citizens of Somali heritage of their citizenship if convicted of fraud—a move that would be illegal under current US law. Citizenship revocation is permitted only in extremely limited circumstances unrelated to standard fraud charges.
He vowed, "If you come to America to rob Americans, we're throwing you in jail and we're sending you back to the country from where you came." Couching this in nationalist language, he spoke of rediscovering America's "native spirit" to make the country great again, a phrase critics have linked to white supremacist ideology.
Finally, he announced a policy to cut all federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities, accusing them of protecting criminals. "We're not making any payment to anybody that supports Sanctuary Cities," he stated, specifically threatening to withhold money from Minnesota.
