US Politics
‘Goodnight brother, let’s go to bed’: Trump opens rally speech in Florida with bizarre impression of Ilhan Omar
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President Donald Trump launched into a lengthy rant about Rep. Ilhan Omar in a stump speech in Florida on Friday, using a bizarre accent to mimic the progressive Democratic foe before launching into a narrative tied to the unproven claim in conservative circles that she married her brother.
In an affectation that sounded like a bad British accent, he at first seemed to imitate Omar to make the claim she is anti-American.
“She comes here from Somalia and she tries to tell us how to run the United States of America. She says, ‘The Constitution gives me certain rights, gives me certain rights,’” Trump mimicked in a voice that sounded more bad-Paul McCartney than Ilhan Omar. “‘And I demand that I be given these rights’ — Get the hell out, what a phony,” he continued.
“I believe she married her brother, which is totally illegal,” Trump then said. “It’s a lovely couple, actually, but it’s a little bit on the illegal side,” Trump went on before engaging in a bit of cringey fictional dialogue between the two.
“‘Darling. I love you very much,’ Trump said, presumably as Omar’s spouse.
“‘Good night, brother. Let’s go to bed,’” he delivered the punchline to a by then stunned audience of supporters.
The president made the remarks while speaking at the Villages in Florida, the world’s largest retirement community. He came to tout supposedly fulfilling his 2024 campaign promise to remove taxes on Social Security.
Though the One Big, Beautiful Bill he signed last year does not remove taxes on Social Security. Rather, between 2025 and 2028, senior citizens can claim an additional deduction of $6,000 and $12,000 for couples. Trump campaigned on removing taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security when he ran for re-election in 2024.
Trump made the remarks when going on a racist tirade about Somalis in Minnesota.
Trump has long focused on the widespread fraud investigation within Minnesota’s Somali-American community. That served as the impetus of Operation Metro Surge, the operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The whole thing is a scam and we ought to get those people, the hell out of our country.”
He would proceed to impersonate Omar before criticizing her.
“She says, she says, ‘the Constitution gives me certain rights, gives me certain rights, and I demand that I be given these rights,’” Trump said “Get the hell out. What a phony.”
But Omar would not be the only Democrat Trump would attack. He repeated his attacks on California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential presidential candidate, for having dyslexia.
“We should give him a cognitive test,” Trump said, bragging about his own prowess. “I took three of them. Aced all of them, by the way. I’m the only president to take a cognitive test.”
Trump also used the event to remark on the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which led to the arrest of Cole Allen, who allegedly tried to open fire on the president and administration officials.
“There was just a an attempt–I won’t use the word an attempt–they say on my life,” he said, also alluding to the war in Iran. “I should be indoors at a secure facility where I can quietly, beautifully and safely play out by term destroying everything that comes in our way, like bad countries that want to get nuclear weapons.”
During the event, television host Dr. Phil McGraw made an appearance onstage. Trump also brought along fellow former daytime television host Dr. Mehmet Oz, who now serves as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
At the same time, Trump bragged about his imposing tariffs on foreign nations while at the same time saying that prices are going down.
“Grocery prices are way down, used car prices are way down,” he said. “Look at eggs.”
This comes despite the fact that many Americans do not believe prices are going down, largely due to the increase in the price of gasoline, largely caused by Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz amid Trump’s war with Iran.
He also assailed Democratic talking points about affordability, a major plank among all flanks within the party.
“They got one good line of bulls***,” Trump said. “I’m two days in and I watch this sleaze bag, one of these crazy congressman get up and he’s being interviewed and he said ‘affordability. Prices are too high.’ I just got there.”
The president came to Florida as part of his attempt to sell one of the few legislative accomplishments of his presidential term ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Florida Republicans are attempting to shore up Trump and prevent him from losing his majority in the House of Representatives. This week, its Republican-controlled legislature passed new congressional maps with four new Republican-friendly districts.