It was apparent that President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address would generate drama and commentary, and that is what happened. During his speech, Rep. Ilhan Omar, along with fellow Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, interrupted Trump with vocal objections.
At first, members of the Democratic delegation appeared to express their disagreement nonverbally, maintaining silence or stony expressions. However, that shifted when Trump addressed immigration policies.
Both Omar and Tlaib repeatedly called out Trump mid-speech, criticizing his reference to the Somali population of Minnesota and blaming his administration’s immigration enforcement for the deaths of U.S. citizens including Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota shouted “you have killed Americans” as President Donald Trump slammed Democrats for demanding for reform before funding the Department of Homeland Security.
Omar was referring to the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota, where Renee Good and… pic.twitter.com/MRdxgJtdTe
— CNN (@CNN) February 25, 2026
The situation escalated when Trump urged lawmakers to stand if they agreed that the government’s “first duty … is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Republicans stood and applauded, while many Democrats did not rise, prompting Trump to say, “You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
In response, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., shouted from her seat, “You have killed Americans!” Republican Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan also yelled during the address, at times calling Trump a “liar” and sharply rejecting his comments about immigration and Somali residents of Minnesota.
According to CNN and other outlets, Trump later criticized Democrats in part by alleging that their policies would lead to electoral cheating. “They have cheated, and their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat…These people are crazy. I’m telling you, they’re crazy,” he said during the speech.
Trump also made remarks about what he described as criminal activity among some Somali immigrants in Minnesota, referring to them as “Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota” and linking the issue to “unrestricted immigration and open borders,” drawing more vocal objections from Omar and Tlaib.
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. President Trump has Ilhan Omar GOING BERSERK after calling out Somalis and illegal aliens, she’s yelling at the TOP OF HER LUNGS right now
“You should be ashamed of yourself!”
OMAR: *Keeps yelling*
Deport her from the CHAMBER, deport her FROM AMERICA! pic.twitter.com/tGJsXFIS4A
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 25, 2026
Trump further added, “Importing cultures where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm brings these problems right here to the USA…it’s the American people who pay the price.”
Though cheers and jeers drowned out Omar’s outburst during the address, responses to the incident have been mixed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned Omar and Tlaib, calling them “incredibly distracting.”
He also criticized them, saying, “Even if you don’t agree with [Trump], you should respect him enough to listen to him.”
On the other hand, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi downplayed the incident when asked about it in a CNN interview. According to her, the interruption was “hardly noticeable in the room.”
CNN reported that Democrats had specifically told their members not to react to Trump or his speech. Apparently, they did not want a repeat of last year, when many Democrats used signs to protest.
