In State of the Union, Trump labels Somali community 'pirates' and claims $19 billion was 'pillaged'

During his Feb. 24, 2026 State of the Union address, Trump claimed that members of Minnesota's Somali community had 'pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer' and added, 'The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm.' AP coverage of the speech noted it was unclear where Trump got the $19 billion figure; federal fraud prosecutions in Minnesota involve far smaller documented totals. The remarks framed a broad ethnic community as criminal in a nationally televised address and drew immediate pushback from Rep. Ilhan Omar on the House floor.

"The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception." — State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, February 24, 2026