Tim Walz blames Trump for Somali fraud in Minnesota, complains about being called ‘seriously retarded’

Trump, in a lengthy Thanksgiving post on Truth Social, commented on multiple issues involving immigration. He claimed an immigrant earning $30,000 with a green card would receive “roughly $50,000 in yearly benefits for their family,” calling the “refugee burden” the leading cause of social dysfunction in America. He highlighted Minnesota, which has received a heavy influx of Somali refugees, describing Somali gangs as “roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone.”

“The seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both,” Trump wrote.

On NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Walz criticized the president’s language, calling the term “damaging” and accusing Trump of “normalizing hateful behavior” and trying to “distract from his incompetency.”

“We cannot allow this to be normalized,” Walz said. “You can use that language, but you shouldn’t.”

Walz, who has previously commented about hoping to hear news one day that Trump had died, accused the president of having “demonized” the Somali community. He also said Trump’s use of the word “retarded” was an effort to “demonize our children.”

The exchange comes as numerous reports have highlighted widespread fraud in Minnesota involving Somali-run organizations. The Trump administration announced last month that 44 percent of immigrants in Minneapolis were committing immigration fraud, and billions in taxpayer dollars have reportedly been stolen during Walz’s administration by members of the Somali community. Last weekend, Trump announced he would end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota, calling the state a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”

Concerns over fraud have also been raised by state employees. On Saturday, the Minnesota Department of Human Services Employees account on X, representing more than 480 department staff members, accused Walz of being “100% responsible for massive fraud” in the state.

"We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response. Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports," the group said. "In addition to retaliating against whistleblower[s], Tim Walz disempowered the Office of the Legislative Auditor, allowing agencies to disregard their audit findings and guidance."