Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, a Black congresswoman President Trump frequently ridiculed on the campaign trail, referred to recent gatherings of his supporters as Ku Klux Klan rallies Monday.
Ms. Omar, a former Somali refugee and one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, equated Mr. Trump’s campaign events to KKK rallies during an interview conducted by The Washington Post.
“I have gotten accustomed to standing up to bullies in my life,” Ms. Omar said about being targeted often by Mr. Trump. “And so, on a personal level, it hasn’t really impacted me, besides having my children be exposed to it and for the last two months of this election cycle waking up every single morning to text messages from my siblings asking if I was safe because he chose to speak about me at every single rally.”
Ms. Omar added that Mr. Trump sometimes mentioned her multiples times a day while campaigning for reelection while he was holding “his Klan rallies throughout the country.”
Several prominent supporters of Mr. Trump subsequently reacted with outrage on social media to the congresswoman’s comment.
“This woman is deranged,” said Dinesh D’souza, a conservative commentator and convicted felon who was pardoned by the president.
Fox News host Sean Hannity and Steve Guest, the Republican National Committee’s rapid response director, separately referred to Ms. Omar on social medial afterward as being “unhinged,” meanwhile.
Mr. Trump his clashed often with Ms. Omar since she entered Congress in early 2019, including that summer when he said her and other congresswomen of color should “go back” to where they came from.
The president attacked Ms. Omar frequently while campaigning against Democratic rival Joseph R. Biden, including falsely claiming at a rally last month that she immigrated to the U.S. illegally.
In another instance, in late September, rally goers chanted “lock her up,” effectively calling for the congresswoman’s imprisonment, after the president alleged she is “corrupt” and “crooked.”
Multiple news outlets have projected Mr. Biden defeated Mr. Trump in this month’s election and will become president. Mr. Trump has not conceded, however, alleging unfounded claims of voter fraud.
Trump supporters protested the results of his apparent loss Saturday in D.C., during events promoted by the likes of Mr. Hannity, as well as on several websites that cater to neo-Nazis, including Stormfront and The Daily Stormer, among others.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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