During a Tuesday press conference, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar called for the dismantling of the “systems of oppression” that exist in the United States, Raw Story reported. In response, conservative Twitter personalities — including Donald Trump Jr . — suggested Omar called for the dismantling of America’s economy and political system.
“Does @joebiden agree with his supporter @ilhanmn that we need to dismantle the United States economy and political system?” Trump Jr. tweeted.
Omar shot back at Trump Jr. and suggested that he did not understand the meaning of her comments.
“Does our education system know it has failed you? Your level of comprehension is such an embarrassment to our country, maybe someone can offer you free English classes.”
As reported by Fox News , Omar claimed that Americans should not limit their activism to the systems of oppression within the criminal justice system and police forces.
“We are not merely fighting to tear down the systems of oppression in the criminal justice system. We are fighting to tear down systems of oppression that exist in housing, in education, in health care, in employment, [and] in the air we breathe.”
Omar called for guaranteed housing and pointed to the racial disparities in U.S. home ownership. The 37-year-old politician later called for the “dismantling” of the “whole system of oppression” across America.
In addition to Trump Jr., Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn was critical of Omar’s comments and called her to resign. According to Blackburn, Omar and her “Marxist comrades” are a threat to the United States.
Omar previously supported local progressive politicians in the move to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department after George Floyd was killed while being detained by the department’s former officer, Derek Chauvin .
Omar and Trump Jr. have clashed in the past. As reported by The Hill , Trump Jr. criticized the congresswoman last year for calling White House adviser Stephen Miller a white nationalist. Omar made the accusation against Miller in a tweet where she linked to a story on Miller’s alleged influence on Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. According to the report, Miller pushed for Trump to withdraw his nomination of Ron Vitiello to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In response to Omar’s tweet, Trump Jr. suggested that Omar was anti-semitic and accused her of being a supporter of the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan , who has been accused of being an antisemite. Farrakhan previously defended Omar’s comments on the 9/11 attacks.
