President Donald Trump’s comments about Somali immigrants have now cost a hardcore MAGA fan who attended his rallies and defended him against accusations of racism. A Somali American voter went on CNN and publicly withdrew his support for the president.
Salman Fiqy, a business owner from Minnesota who previously supported Trump and worked with Republican groups in the state, told CNN host Victor Blackwell that the president’s recent rhetoric had crossed a line. Speaking about Trump calling Somali immigrants “garbage,” Fiqy said the remark hit with “a lot of weight.”
“It was very dehumanizing and is very unpresidential coming from the commander-in-chief of the United States to dehumanize … a whole entire community by calling them garbage,” he said.
Fiqy then made his break official from the GOP, stating: “I’m formally announcing that I’m ending all collaboration with the Republican Party.”
Fiqy explained that his support for Trump comes from his conservative values, particularly in policy and security issues, but the language now coming from the White House made it impossible for him to stay. “If a president uses words like this,” he said, “I can’t stand with him.”
Somali American Salman Fiqy, who voted for Trump, says he’s no longer supporting Donald Trump or the GOP after Trump called Somalis “Garbage.”
“It was very dehumanizing and it’s very unpresidential coming from the commander in chief of the US…to dehumanize a whole entire… pic.twitter.com/zvaeyXwPXb
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) December 6, 2025
Blackwell asked Fiqy whether he regretted ever supporting Trump. He said he did not regret his past vote but made clear that the present circumstances had forced a clean break.
“No, I don’t regret my vote… but I withdraw all connections from the Minnesota GOP, from the Republican Party, for not standing up for the Somali community.”
Fiqy’s comments come amid a wave of federal enforcement actions targeting Somali neighborhoods in Minnesota and elsewhere, operations that have fuelled political tensions and stoking fears among immigrant communities. Civil rights groups have condemned both the raids and Trump’s language, warning that it has fuelled hostility toward Somali Americans.
The CNN appearance marked one of the clearest on-record defections from a Somali American conservative who once helped the GOP make inroads with immigrant voters. While some Somali Americans supported Trump during earlier cycles, the “garbage” remark appears to have triggered a turning point for many.
Fiqy said the break was not about partisanship but dignity; his message was aimed not just at the president but at the party that stayed quiet.
“This was very dehumanizing,” he said, capitulating his decision to walk away.
For Trump, the political cost remains to be seen, but he has since doubled down on his attacks on Somalians. During his tour of Pennsylvania, at a rally, he called the East African nation the ‘worst country in the world,’ before launching a tirade at Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Others in the GOP have echoed Trump’s attacks on Somalians, touting crime statistics and accusing them of contributing nothing to America. There is about 43,000 people born in Somalia living in Minnesota, but a total of about 100,000 who descend from the nation.
