WASHINGTON – Despite President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address earning high approval ratings, Democrats have spent the week criticizing the speech, including Minnesota state Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Omar, the first Somali-American state legislator, went on Democracy Now! Wednesday to give her take on the address, calling Trump’s immigration ideas “fascist” and “outdated.”
“I was just sort of listening to that little bizarre bit about our immigration programs being outdated, and the only thing I could think about was his fascist ideas being outdated,” Omar said.
When asked about Trump’s remarks on the violent criminal gang MS-13, Omar called the comments “dangerous” and “disturbing.”
“I mean, it is really disappointing, and it saddens me, but it doesn’t surprise me, that this person can’t comprehend how dangerous it is to create a link between people who might be committing some atrocious crimes to immigrants that are coming to this country seeking a brighter future for their children, and the countless people from Central America and South America who are coming to this country for opportunities, that my family came here for, and many of the immigrants before us came,” Omar said. “It is unbecoming of a president and a leader to be able to make those kind of disturbing and disgusting links.”
While Democrats like Omar slam Trump’s immigration policy proposals, polls show Americans generally agree with the president on the issue. A recent Harvard-Harris poll found that 65% of voters overall agree with Trump’s stance on immigration including the creation of a border wall, ending chain migration, and ending the diversity visa lottery program.
Watch Ilhan Omar’s interview on Democracy Now! here.
