President Donald Trump called on Minnesotans to “fight back” against Somali immigrants Thursday, one day after federal officials announced charges against a Somali American teenager accused of plotting a terror attack at the Mall of America. The post, published on Truth Social, marked one of Trump’s sharpest attacks yet on Minnesota’s Somali community and state leadership.
“The Somalians should not be allowed to get away with what they are doing. They view you as weak and stupid people. Fight back Minnesota, fight back!” Trump wrote. He also claimed the state was “being taken over” and described “violence, murder, and mayhem all over the state.”
The president directed some of his harshest words at Democratic Governor Tim Walz, calling him “an incompetent thief” who had abandoned Minnesotans. You have been robbed, and abandoned by your State Government,” Trump wrote, adding that Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey needed to request federal assistance. “If you need, the Federal Government will come to your rescue,” he said. Newsweek reached out to the White House, Walz, Frey, and U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar for comment.
The remarks followed Wednesday’s announcement by the FBI and Department of Justice that 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, a U.S. citizen of Somali heritage, had been arrested and charged. According to prosecutors, Mohamud spent nearly two years communicating online about traveling to Somalia to join a foreign terrorist organization and then carrying out an attack in Minnesota. One idea described in the complaint was a mass casualty shooting at the Mall of America, with investigators saying an attack may have been planned for later in October.
Mohamud was charged with one federal count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition while having reasonable cause to believe they would be used to commit a felony and a federal crime of terrorism. He allegedly accepted an AK-47-style rifle and about 200 rounds of ammunition on October 6 from someone he believed was connected to ISIS. That person was actually an undercover FBI agent. You can follow the alleged Mall of America terror plot through continuing coverage as the case develops.
Anyone heading down the pathway of violence should know, when the FBI receives credible evidence indicating someone is seeking means to carry out a violent attack, we act to disrupt the threat immediately and protect innocent lives,” Special Agent in Charge Chris Dotson said at a press conference Wednesday.
Trump’s relationship with Walz has deteriorated sharply in recent years. The two cooperated during the 2020 unrest following George Floyd’s death, with Trump at the time praising Walz as an “excellent guy.” That goodwill ended after Walz joined the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, and the tension deepened further during ICE’s Operation Metro Surge, which ran from December 2025 into early 2026 and included the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the country, with roughly 60,000 to 65,000 residents of Somali ancestry, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The community includes refugees and immigrants born in Somalia, naturalized citizens, and large numbers of U.S.-born children and young adults. While some individuals of Somali heritage have faced fraud charges in the state, many Minnesotans have publicly supported their Somali neighbors in response to broad characterizations by Trump and others. The case against Mohamud is ongoing, and federal charges could be updated as the investigation continues. Share your thoughts on this story in the comments or on social media.
