Donald Trump is back with new headlines, this time not for throwing a casual slur at a female reporter, but at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. While speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, the 79-year-old president was asked about his Thanksgiving Truth Social post in which he used the term “ret—ed” to attack the governor.
A reporter asked whether he stood by the remark. Trump responded, “There’s something wrong with him, absolutely. Anybody who would do what he did, allowing those people into the state and paying billions of dollars to Somalia… It’s not even functioning like a country. Yes, there’s something wrong with Walz.”
According to The Daily Beast, Trump first used the slur last week while claiming that Somali refugees had “taken over” Minnesota following a major state fraud scandal involving individuals of Somali descent. The White House seemed to approve the derogatory remark, as authorities reposted the comments with a classic laughing emoji.
For context, several welfare and social-service programs in Minnesota were allegedly abused, including housing support, autism services, and food aid programs. Allegedly, people have submitted false claims for services that were never provided. The affected individuals include Somalian immigrants.
Programs such as autism therapy saw claims rise from $3 million in 2018 to nearly $400 million in 2023. Moreover, many claimed that these funds were transferred abroad. Trump has been upset over these unproven and controversial claims, blaming Tim Walz.
Trump has now ended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Somalis, eliminating deportation protections for Somalis living in Minnesota, speeding up the termination of a program that began in 1991 under former President George H.W. Bush.
Trump ends temporary protected status for Somalis in Minnesota “effective immediately,” citing new reports alleging welfare fraud and hawala transfers that investigators say sent funds abroad, including to al-Shabaab. Critics say the move targets an entire community and fuels… pic.twitter.com/3TOe5Mszxl
— Ground News (@Ground_app) November 24, 2025
He announced the move on Truth Social as he blamed Somalians for misusing billions of dollars and terrorizing Minnesota. He declared the state a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” under Democratic Governor Walz.
Meanwhile, during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Walz said he did not take Trump’s remarks personally but described the language as a “badge of honor.”
“Donald Trump insulting me is a badge of honor,” Walz said. “But as an educator for decades and as a parent, we all know that word is harmful. Trump has normalized hateful behavior and language, mostly to distract from his own incompetence.”
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Walz further said that he is committed to working honestly towards addressing fraud in Minnesota, but emphasized that “demonizing an entire community because of a few individuals is lazy.”
“That’s Donald Trump—deflect, demonize, and offer no solutions,” he added. The 61-year-old governor also talked about the results of Trump’s MRI scan, which created quite a buzz last month when Trump clarified that he was in perfect health.
Even though the administration claimed it was an advanced scan as a part of his routine checkup, which is reportedly unusual, Walz urged the president to release the results of his recent scan. When asked about it by reporters, Trump said he was okay with releasing the results and repeated that he did not know what the scan had been investigating.
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Furthermore, as speculation grows about Trump’s health, especially after his vein diagnosis, visible gait changes, slurred speech, fatigue, and alleged dementia and narcissistic traits, Governor Tim Walz has expressed concerns about his genuine capability of being in office.
“This is the most powerful position in the world,” he said. “And we have someone sending out midnight slurs that target our kids while failing to solve any real problems. I’m deeply concerned he cannot do the job.”
