After U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked by a man, who sprayed a liquid substance on her during a town hall in Minnesota, President Donald Trump suggested the congresswoman made the whole thing up.
When asked about the incident caught on camera that has been condemned by Democrats, and even Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Trump floated the conspiracy theory, despite admitting he had not seen the video.
“No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” the president told ABC News reporter Rachel Scott. “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
Trump’s response to Omar’s attack may not be surprising considering she has been a frequent target of the president, who has called her and the Somali-Americans she represents in Congress “garbage.”
As theGrio previously reported, hours before the attack on Congresswoman Omar, Trump yet again insulted her while delivering a speech on the economy in Iowa.
“She comes from a country that’s a disaster…it’s not even a country. Okay? It barely has a government. I don’t think it does. They’re good at one thing: pirates,” said Trump.
What’s more, the man who attacked Omar, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, appears to be a Trump supporter. He was charged with third-degree assault.
Democrats who came to Omar’s defense placed blame on Trump for his rhetoric.
“Let’s be clear: nonstop hate and dangerous rhetoric from Trump and his allies has fueled this type of violence. I stand with Rep. Omar. I stand with Minnesota. This must stop,” said Texas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Omar’s close friend and ally, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, popularly known as AOC, said, “It is not a coincidence that after days of President Trump and VP Vance putting Rep. Omar in their crosshairs with slanderous public attacks, she gets assaulted at her town hall.”
She added, “Thank God she is okay. If they want leaders to take down the temp, they need to look in the mirror.”
