In recent developments, President Donald Trump has directed negative attention towards Minnesota's Somali community, labeling them with derogatory terms and deploying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to apprehend individuals he has identified as criminals. This has led to an increase in hate mail directed at mosques and spaces frequented by Somali Americans.

In response, leaders within the Somali community have organized protests and disseminated information about ICE activities. They have also engaged in online satire, creating humorous content that reimagines historical narratives to assert their place in Minnesota. For example, some social media posts humorously claim that Somalis were the original settlers of Minnesota, utilizing AI-generated images and playful commentary to challenge prevailing narratives.

The significant immigration of Somalis to Minnesota began in the 1990s, largely due to a civil war that forced many to flee their homeland. Approximately 95% of Somalis in Minnesota hold U.S. citizenship, according to PBS. Critics of the Trump administration's focus on this community have characterized it as rooted in racism and xenophobia. The community's response, marked by humor and creativity, serves as a means of coping with and countering the negative rhetoric while highlighting broader issues of immigration and the experiences of marginalized groups in the United States.

In a separate incident, on December 15, 2025, President Trump reiterated his critical stance on the late film director Rob Reiner, expressing no remorse for his earlier comments. Trump stated, "I thought he was very bad for our country," in response to inquiries about his social media post regarding Reiner's death. In his post on Truth Social, Trump suggested that Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, died due to the anger he purportedly caused others, attributing this to a condition he termed "TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME" (TDS).

These remarks have drawn bipartisan criticism, including from some within the Republican Party. Representative Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma criticized Trump’s comments, stating that the focus should be on supporting the grieving family rather than politicizing the tragedy. Similarly, Representative Mike Lawler from New York labeled Trump's remarks as "wrong," emphasizing the need for compassion in such circumstances. Christian conservative theologian Russell Moore expressed concern over the normalization of such behavior in American discourse, suggesting it would be a point of study for future generations. This incident underscores ongoing tensions in political rhetoric and the implications of public figures' statements on societal norms and values.