Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., described the United States as becoming “one of the worst countries” in the world during an interview published Friday on Democracy Now!’s YouTube page.
“I mean, I grew up in a dictatorship and I don’t even remember ever witnessing anything like that to have a democracy, a beacon of hope for the world to now be turned into one of the, you know, one of the worst countries, where the military are in our streets without any regard for people’s constitutional rights,” Omar said.
Omar, who was born in Somalia and came to the United States as a refugee in the 1990s, directed part of her criticism at President Donald Trump’s military parade held Saturday commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
“Our president is spending millions of dollars propping himself up like a failed dictator with a military parade,” Omar said of the celebration of the U.S. military.
“It is really shocking, and it should be a wake-up call for all Americans to say this is not the country we were born in,” she said. “This is not the country we believe in, this is not the country our Founding Fathers imagined, and this is not the country that is supported by our Constitution, our ideals, our values, and we should all collectively be out in the streets rejecting what is taking place this week.”
“I think the person who is in the process of destroying our country should look in the mirror and that’s Trump,” Omar said. “And notice that he is the one that has hatred for the values that we have here in America and everything that we have built. The reality is protest, dissent, is constitutionally protected that is everybody’s First Amendment right in this country.”
Omar’s remarks sparked immediate backlash from several conservatives.
Fox News contributor Guy Benson shared a clip from the interview on X, saying, “The hyperbole here is appalling, made worse by her astounding ingratitude.”
The hyperbole here is appalling, made worse by her astounding ingratitude. https://t.co/SVdKUkbQ4v
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) June 17, 2025
“If people are seriously offended by a parade for the first time in decades, then go outside and touch some grass,” OutKick’s David Hookstead wrote. “We have the greatest military on the planet, and we shouldn’t ever apologize for it. After all, our men died to try to protect innocent lives in Somalia. I guess that sacrifice just doesn’t matter to Congresswoman Omar.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier posted “Denaturalize and Deport” on X in response to the video of Omar’s comments.
This isn’t the first time a Florida official has targeted Omar. While running for president in January 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis also called for her deportation, responding to reports that Omar had told people in Somali that she was “Somali first, Muslim second” – claims that Omar later said were a mistranslation of her remarks.