Donald Trump capped off 2025 with a vicious social media tirade targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar and Somalia’s entire population over Minnesota’s ongoing fraud investigations.
The president posted his inflammatory remarks on New Year’s Eve, writing: “Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia. ‘Congresswoman’ Omar, an ungrateful loser who only complains and never contributes, is one of the many scammers. Did she really marry her brother? Lowlifes like this can only be a liability to our Country’s greatness. Send them back from where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Trump’s outburst came after his administration froze $185 million in federal childcare funding to Minnesota following viral allegations about fraudulent daycare operations. The Department of Health and Human Services announced sweeping changes requiring states to provide “justification and receipt or photo evidence” before receiving federal money.
The controversy exploded when YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a video showing him visiting federally-supported childcare centers around Minneapolis and finding no children present. His footage, which drew tens of millions of views, alleged nearly a dozen daycare centers weren’t providing services while pocketing taxpayer funds.
But the daycare allegations represent just one piece of Minnesota’s massive fraud puzzle. Federal prosecutors estimate the total fraud could exceed $9 billion across multiple state programs. The largest scheme involved Feeding Our Future, a COVID-era nonprofit that prosecutors called “the largest pandemic-era fraud in the United States.”
Aimee Bock, who founded Feeding Our Future, was convicted earlier this year for running a $250 million scam. The group claimed to distribute meals to schools and programs but instead submitted fake invoices and meal counts, raking in millions through administrative fees and kickbacks.
Fraud has also plagued Minnesota’s housing stabilization program, which officials shut down this summer after discovering “large-scale fraud.” Eight people were charged with submitting millions in fake bills, including two Pennsylvanians who allegedly engaged in “fraud tourism” by traveling to Minnesota specifically to commit crimes.
The autism services program faced similar problems, with defendants accused of hiring unqualified staff and paying kickbacks to parents who enrolled their children. Prosecutors said 14 Medicaid services are now under audit and deemed “high risk” for fraud.
Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed Minnesota’s Somali community for the fraud, calling Somali immigrants “garbage” who “contribute nothing.” He ended temporary deportation protections for Somali immigrants and claimed without evidence that “Somali gangs are terrorizing” Minnesota.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has faced intense scrutiny over his administration’s handling of the crisis. Walz defended his response, saying officials have “spent years cracking down on fraudsters” and accused Trump of “politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”
The Treasury Department is investigating whether stolen funds reached al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization based in Somalia. However, multiple federal investigators told CBS News there’s no evidence taxpayer dollars were directly funneled to terrorists.
Court records show that the defendants purchased cars, property and luxury travel with stolen funds. They also wired millions overseas, including nearly $3 million to accounts in Kenya and additional funds to banks in China.
Republican Rep. James Comer opened a House Oversight Committee investigation into the fraud and announced plans for hearings with testimony from Walz and other officials. As the scandal intensified in December, Walz unveiled a new statewide fraud prevention program.
Donald Trump and his New Year’s Eve attack on Omar recycled his long-standing false claims about her personal life while painting an entire immigrant community as criminals. The president’s inflammatory rhetoric has drawn sharp criticism from Minnesota lawmakers who accused him of demonizing Somali Americans based on the actions of individual fraudsters.
The fraud investigations have resulted in federal charges against 92 people, with 62 convicted so far. FBI Director Kash Patel called the Feeding Our Future case “just the tip of a very large iceberg.”