Somali PM Declines to Engage With Trump After He Calls Country's Immigrants 'Garbage': 'Better Not to Respond'

Somalia's prime minister said the country will refrain from responding directly to U.S. President Donald Trump after he called Somali immigrants "garbage" during a cabinet meeting in Washington on Tuesday.

"We are not the only country that Trump insults," Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said at an innovation summit in Mogadishu, according to a video shared by local broadcaster Shabelle TV and reported by The New York Times. "Sometimes it's better not to respond," he added.

Trump on Tuesday said he did not want Somali immigrants in the United States, stating the country would "go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country." He also described Somalia as a place that "stinks" and lacks structure. His remarks came as U.S. immigration authorities began a targeted enforcement operation in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region, home to the largest Somali community in the United States.

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The United States remains a key security partner for Somalia's government, particularly in operations against the Al-Shabab militant group, as NYT reports. The U.S. provided roughly $128 million in assistance to Somalia in the 2025 fiscal year, though overall aid has decreased following cuts implemented by the Trump administration.

Trump's statements prompted criticism in Mogadishu from residents who argued that Somali officials should speak out more forcefully. "Why have you kept your mouth shut about Trump's hate speech toward our people?" said Abdullahi Omar, a trader in the capital.

Others pointed to the contributions of Somali communities in the United States. "We are not garbage," said Ali Yahye, a 24-year-old designer. "The Somali community in the U.S. has made a lot of contributions to the country."

Trump has a longstanding record of criticizing Somali migration. During a 2016 campaign rally in Minneapolis, he argued that Minnesota had "suffered enough" from accepting Somali refugees. As president, he also included Somalia in his travel ban and has repeatedly singled out U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, who arrived as a child refugee and later became a U.S. citizen.

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