BY EMILY CZACHOR
Monday November 9, 2020
Rep. Ilhan Omar appears at a campaign event in Minneapolis on August 11. The Democratic congresswoman, who won re-election, said Sunday it was "glorious" to see communities Donald Trump targeted successfully vote him out of office. STEPHEN MATUREN/GETTY
Reflecting on the results of the presidential election, Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar cited community efforts to vote Donald Trump out of office and, specifically, lauded those led by communities he targeted during his time in the White House."Every single person that President Trump attacked, especially Black women and their communities, all organized and mobilized to get rid of him. And that is glorious," the U.S. Rep. from Minnesota tweeted Sunday, echoing what she said earlier in the day to correspondent Ali Velshi during an MSNBC interview.
"We should not lose sight of the fact that it is not just a rebuke of the American people that will eventually send him packing on January 20," Omar told Velshi. "But it's a rebuke that comes from the communities that he has targeted in the last four years, and that is truly the most joyous part of this election."
The congresswoman herself has been subject to verbal assails from Trump during his presidency. She, alongside other members of the congressional "Squad"—New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib—often sparred with the president over his racist rhetoric, which included, in several instances, comments directed expressly toward the progressive group of U.S. House members.During the final stretch of Trump's re-election campaign, he resurfaced accusations that Omar entered the U.S. illegally and "hates our country." Born in Somalia, the representative moved to the U.S. as a refugee when she was 12 years old. Omar will resume her House seat for another term after winning re-election in Minnesota's 5th congressional district on Tuesday.
Amid Trump's most recent attacks on Omar along his campaign trail, coupled with racist and xenophobic remarks about how a Biden-Harris administration would increase the population of refugees living in Minnesota, the Republican incumbent insisted he would win the Midwestern state "because of Ilhan." According to the Associated Press, Joe Biden secured a majority of votes in the battleground state by more than 7 percent.
Although Trump's campaign is fiercely pursuing efforts to undermine ballot counts in hopes of challenging results of the presidential race, on Saturday the AP and other media outlets projected Biden would win the election. Omar, as well as Tlaib, were recognized for their advocacy work in Minnesota and Michigan, another battleground state that swung blue, to increase voter turnout ahead of Election Day.
"We believe you get what you organize for. We work, analyze and strategize," Omar tweeted earlier on Sunday. During her conversation with Velshi, the congresswoman acknowledged that "a lot of work" remains to be done moving forward, but said she is "pleased to see" that Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris are already establishing plans to address the coronavirus pandemic.
"That really speaks to the hunger we've all been feeling for leadership," she said.
Newsweek reached out to the Omar and Trump campaigns for further comments but did not receive replies in time for publication.