Trump on Omar: 'She's got a way about her that is very, very bad'
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President Trump continued to criticize Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a day after the congresswoman said a video the president posted had led to an increase in death threats against her.
In an interview with KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, Trump was asked if he had any second thoughts about posting a video to Twitter that intercut quotes from the Somali-American congresswoman, a Muslim, with images of the 9/11 attacks.
“No, not at all. Look, she’s been very disrespectful to this country, and she’s been very disrespectful to Israel,” said Trump. “She is somebody who doesn’t really understand life, real life, what it’s all about.”
KSTP-TV’s broadcast then edited the video, cutting to Trump continuing his thoughts on Omar.
“It’s unfortunate, she’s got a way about her that is very, very bad, I think for our country,” said the president. “I think she is extremely unpatriotic and extremely disrespectful to our country."
Last week Omar was denounced by conservative politicians and media outlets for comments in a speech that were misconstrued as minimizing the seriousness of the 9/11 attack. At a fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Omar said the organization “was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.” (CAIR was actually founded in 1994. According to the Washington Post, Omar’s spokesman said she misspoke and “meant to refer to the fact that the organization had doubled in size after the Sept. 11 attacks.”)
The phrase “some people did something” has been highlighted by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, to criticize the Muslim American congresswoman as un-American. Kilmeade, who had said, “You have to wonder if she’s an American first,” later walked back his comment.
Omar released a statement Sunday evening saying that the Trump video had resulted in an increase in death threats.
“Since the President’s tweet Friday evening, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life — many directly referencing or replying to the President’s video,” said Omar. “I thank the Capitol Police, the FBI, the House Sergeant at Arms, and the Speaker of the House for their attention to these threats.”
Earlier this month, a New York man and avowed Trump supporter was arrested by federal authorities for allegedly threatening to kill Omar.
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