“GARBAGE?” — TRUMP JUST WENT AFTER ILHAN OMAR AGAIN, BUT WHAT DO HIS SUPPORTERS THINK NOW?
Donald Trump has made it clear that his feud with Rep. Ilhan Omar is not going away.
And once again, the president has chosen one of his harshest labels for the Minnesota Democrat.
Trump has repeatedly called Omar “garbage” and, more recently, also referred to her as a “phony.” Omar has responded by saying she is not intimidated and intends to keep speaking out.
But there is a bigger question behind the latest clash:
What do Trump supporters actually think about Omar now — and has the nonstop political fight changed anything on the ground?
The answer is more complicated than either side's rhetoric suggests.
TRUMP HAS NOT LET UP ON OMAR
Trump's attacks on Omar have been going on for years, but the conflict intensified again as Minnesota became a major focus of the administration's immigration and fraud crackdown.
In July 2026, CBS Minnesota reported that Trump continued attacking Omar, including calling her “garbage” and a “phony.” Omar, meanwhile, said she was not bothered by the president's attacks and would continue speaking for her constituents.
That is important because Omar is not a marginal figure in her district.
She represents Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, one of the most Democratic districts in the country.
According to CBS Minnesota, Omar won her most recent general election by 50 percentage points, while she won her 2024 Democratic primary by 13 points. In 2026, she was facing several primary challengers, but none had raised more than $100,000 according to the financial statements cited by the station.
So while Trump can generate enormous attention by attacking Omar, the political environment inside her district is considerably different from the national conversation surrounding her.
BUT TRUMP'S SUPPORTERS HAVE THEIR OWN REASONS FOR TARGETING OMAR
For Trump's supporters in Minnesota, Omar has become closely associated with several issues that are central to the administration's agenda.
Immigration is one.
Fraud investigations are another.
And the two subjects have increasingly overlapped in conservative political messaging about Minnesota's Somali community.
In January, the Washington Post reported on a Minneapolis demonstration involving Trump supporters who said they had joined because they were angry about alleged fraud in Minnesota and undocumented immigration.
One protester carried a banner calling for Omar's arrest and the deportation of people involved in fraud.
That does not establish what all Trump voters believe.
But it does show that some supporters have adopted a much broader argument: Omar is not simply a Democratic congresswoman they oppose. They see her as a symbol of the political establishment they believe failed to address fraud and immigration concerns.
That distinction matters.
THE FRAUD CONTROVERSY HAS GIVEN THE FIGHT NEW FUEL
Minnesota's fraud scandals have become an important part of the political battle.
Omar herself has not been accused of wrongdoing in the fraud cases described in earlier reporting.
But conservative critics have repeatedly connected her politically to the broader controversy, particularly because of her district and her public positions on immigration and Minnesota policy.
The Trump administration has also pursued an investigation involving Omar's immigration records.
In August, Trump shared a report stating that ICE had refused to release records related to an investigation into Omar, citing ongoing enforcement proceedings. The post did not establish that Omar had committed a crime; the existence and scope of an investigation are not themselves proof of wrongdoing.
That distinction is important because the political rhetoric surrounding Omar has often moved much faster than the underlying legal facts.
OMAR'S SUPPORTERS SEE SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT
While Trump's supporters continue to attack Omar, her own political base has not shown the kind of collapse that might be expected from the intensity of the national criticism.
CBS Minnesota reported in July that Omar remained very popular in her district.
That helps explain why the Trump-Omar feud keeps producing headlines without necessarily producing an immediate political transformation in Minnesota's 5th District.
For Omar's supporters, Trump's attacks are often interpreted as an attempt to make her a national political target.
Omar herself has made that argument repeatedly.
After Trump previously called her “garbage,” she said his focus on her felt like an “obsession” and argued that she would not allow his attacks to intimidate her.
That response has become part of Omar's political identity: Trump attacks, Omar fires back, and both sides' supporters become more entrenched.
THERE IS ALSO A MUCH DARKER SIDE TO THE FEUD
The rhetoric has not existed in a vacuum.
Omar has faced threats and, in January 2026, was physically targeted during a Minneapolis town hall.
A man rushed toward her and sprayed a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar from a syringe. She was not injured and continued the event afterward. The man later pleaded guilty to assaulting a U.S. officer.
Court records reported by the Washington Post also indicated that the attacker had previously posted support for Trump, although that does not establish that Trump directed or caused the attack.
The episode illustrates why the language surrounding Omar has become more consequential than a normal political insult.
Omar has argued that repeated attacks can create a dangerous environment.
Trump and his allies, meanwhile, have continued to frame the conflict as a political dispute over immigration, fraud, government accountability and Omar's record.
Those are fundamentally different interpretations of the same political confrontation.
SO, WHAT DO TRUMP SUPPORTERS THINK NOW?
There is no single “Trump supporter” position that can accurately answer that question.
The available reporting points to several overlapping reactions.
Some supporters continue to embrace Trump's attacks because they already view Omar as a symbol of policies they oppose — particularly on immigration.
Others focus more heavily on Minnesota's fraud scandals and argue that Omar should face greater scrutiny because of her political role.
At the same time, Omar's continued strength in her overwhelmingly Democratic district shows that Trump's attacks have not translated into a broad rejection of her among her own electorate.
And that creates an unusual political dynamic.
Trump can dominate the national conversation about Omar without necessarily changing the political balance inside her district.
His attacks energize supporters who already oppose her.
Omar's responses energize many of her supporters.
And the result is a political feud in which both sides have reasons to keep fighting.
THE REAL QUESTION MAY BE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The 2026 midterm environment gives the feud another layer of importance.
Omar remains a prominent Democratic voice on immigration and a frequent target of Trump's political messaging.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to use Omar as a high-profile example of the kind of Democrat his administration opposes.
But whether the latest round of attacks changes voters' views is a separate question from whether the attacks generate attention.
So far, the documented picture is mixed.
Trump's supporters who already oppose Omar have continued to criticize her.
Omar remains politically strong in her district.
And the controversies surrounding immigration, fraud investigations and Minnesota's Somali community continue to provide fuel for both sides.
That leaves the most revealing question unanswered:
Is Trump's latest attack actually changing minds — or is it simply deepening a political divide that was already there?
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For now, the evidence shows the latter dynamic is very much alive.
And as the midterm campaign moves forward, the Trump-Omar feud is unlikely to disappear from Minnesota politics anytime soon.
