Congresswoman Ilhan Omar laughed as she told a townhall audience in Minneapolis on Wednesday that she hopes Trump’s age will cut short any “dictatorship” he may “force” on the country.
The fourth-term Democrat’s comments came in response to a question from a woman in the crowd who asked Omar, “Okay, this might sound ridiculous, can’t we hold Trump in contempt of the Constitution?”
Omar attempted to answer the question before she referenced an anecdote she saw on television.
“One of Trump’s former lawyers was on TV, and he said, ‘You know, what he has done to the country in the last eight months will not be undone for generations,’” Omar told the crowd gathered inside an auditorium at the Ukrainian American Community Center in northeast Minneapolis.
“Because it’s one thing to disregard the rule of law, the Constitution, you know, the reverence for institutions, for democracy. It’s another when you now have a population that also is that way,” she continued.
“Trump will leave office. Well, I mean he ain’t gonna live forever … I mean, you know, he’s in his like almost 80 or in his 80s, so even if he does force a dictatorship, hopefully, you know, maybe that will not last too long.
“I’m not saying anybody should take him out, like, do not like misconstrue what I am saying. I am just saying he’s getting older,” Omar concluded.
WATCH: Ilhan Omar laughs while saying Trump ‘ain't gonna live forever,’ bashes the American people
"Because it’s one thing to disregard the rule of law, the constitution, you know, the reverence for institutions, for democracy. It's another when you now have a population that… pic.twitter.com/wvaplHctAo
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) October 2, 2025
She then went on to tell the audience that even after Trump is no longer president, she worries most about “the cult that follows him” and said she hopes the American people will “go back” to “caring about this nation.”
“That’s the thing that scares me the most,” Omar said. “In many ways I do believe we have strong institutions. I don’t hold the belief that we’re on the cusp of a civil war … But I do believe we are at the beginning of something that is really, really bad for our nation and not only do we have to fight the Trump administration and what they are doing, but we also have to find a way for the American public to go back in their minds and hearts in caring about this nation and its survival.”
Cheers for proposal to gerrymander CD6 to include a portion of Minneapolis
During the town hall, elected officials from various offices introduced themselves and gave updates from their levels of government. One of those, Sen. Doron Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, answered a question from an audience member who asked if the state legislature would consider gerrymandering Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District — a Republican stronghold — to include a portion of Minneapolis.
“What’s the appetite to gerrymander Minnesota? I live in south Minneapolis, and I am happy to be a part of that (Sixth Congressional) district if it gets (Emmer) the f–k out of here,” the audience member said.
Clark, a first-term state senator, chuckled, and then responded, “We are interested. It’s not something that I think we normally should do … I have an appetite for it.”
Other topics Omar addressed during the townhall included her commitment to continue to stand up to Israeli-allied lobbyists, which she described as “a group that has that much money and that much resources.” She also encouraged the audience to continue to speak out against what she described as a “Republican-led shutdown” in Congress, despite Democrats in the Senate who are filibustering passage of a budget bill.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
