• President Donald Trump launched a heated attack against Somali immigrants, saying they should be unwelcome in the US because their country “stinks.”
• Trump focused his criticism on Minnesota’s Somali American community and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, labeling them “garbage” and ordering them to “go back to where they came from and fix it.”

US President Donald Trump raged Tuesday against Somali immigrants, saying they should be unwelcome in the United States as he highlighted the long woes of the African country.

Trump’s heated remarks come as a scandal unfolds in the state of Minnesota where prosecutors say more than $1 billion went to non-existent social services, largely through false billing by Somali Americans.

In Somalia “they have no anything, they just run around killing each other,” Trump brazenly told a cabinet meeting.

“Their country’s no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country,” he said.

Trump has a long history of deriding minorities and rose to political prominence spreading false conspiracy theories that former president Barack Obama was born in Kenya rather than the United States.

Trump has often played up fears of the white majority of losing political and cultural power.

“We’re at a tipping point,” Trump told the cabinet meeting.

“We could go one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.”

Trump said that Somali Americans “contribute nothing” and he berated Ilhan Omar, an outspoken Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota who is originally from Somalia.

“Ilhan Omar is garbage. Her friends are garbage,” Trump said.

“Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”

Omar later wrote of Trump on X: “His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”

Trump last week ended protections against deportations of Somalis in place in the United States since 1991, when Somalia descended into anarchy.

Prosecutors are investigating several plots to steal taxpayer money in Minnesota, including by groups that falsely claimed to be feeding children during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Minnesota, a historically Democratic-leaning state with a history of welcoming refugees, is home to a major Somali American community.

The scandal takes an added political dimension as Minnesota’s governor is Tim Walz, a Democrat who was the party’s unsuccessful candidate for vice president in last year’s election.

Last week, Trump separately ordered a halt to all visa issuance to Afghans after a deadly shooting in Washington by an Afghan who worked for US intelligence during the war and was granted asylum after the Taliban returned to power.

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Center,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centerpiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

US President Donald Trump warned ‘Israel’ on Monday against destabilizing Syria and its new leadership, days after a deadly operation by ‘Israeli’ forces in the south of the country.

“It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Trump said he was “very satisfied” with Syria’s performance under former Islamist rebel President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who made a historic visit to the White House in November.

Trump has been pushing for a security pact between ‘Israel’ and Syria since Sharaa’s Islamist coalition overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad a year ago.

But tensions have risen over hundreds of strikes by ‘Israel’ on Syria. In the deadliest so far, ‘Israeli’ forces killed 13 people on Friday in an operation in southern Syria, claiming they targeted an Islamist group.

Trump said Sharaa “is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and ‘Israel’ will have a long and prosperous relationship together.”

He added that the United States was “doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended” to rebuild the war-torn country.

Good relations between Syria and ‘Israel’ would add to his efforts for a wider Middle East peace following the fragile Gaza ceasefire in October, added Trump.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to hold talks on Ukraine with US Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday afternoon.
• The meeting follows criticism that the initial US peace plan heeded too closely to Moscow’s maximalist demands, including the surrender of Ukrainian territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks on Ukraine with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday afternoon, the Kremlin said.

The pair will meet after American and Ukrainian officials held negotiations on a US plan that Washington wants to be a basis to end fighting between Moscow and Kyiv.

“The meeting with Witkoff is planned for tomorrow,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP, in a briefing on Monday, adding that it will take place “in the second half of the day.”

Putin last week repeated his maximalist demands for Moscow to drop its offensive: for Kyiv to surrender territories Moscow claims as its own, saying his army will take them by force otherwise.

Witkoff has met Putin in the Kremlin several times.

The US official has faced criticism for his approach in talks with Moscow, with an initial US plan to end the war widely seen as heeding to much of the Kremlin’s demands.

The EU has said the coming week could be “pivotal” for Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky was in Paris on Monday, seeking to boost European support for Kyiv, while US President Donald Trump expressed optimism for a potential deal to end almost four years of war.

US President Donald Trump confirmed today that he recently held a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as tensions between the two nations reach new heights over issues of regime change, drug trafficking, and military posturing.

The confirmation came aboard Air Force One, where Trump described the conversation neutrally, stating, “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly. It was a phone call.”

This follows a Wall Street Journal report published on Sunday, detailing the call’s focus on potential amnesty conditions if Maduro were to relinquish power.

According to the WSJ, Maduro initiated the discussion by requesting sweeping amnesty for himself, his senior aides, and their families, many of whom face US sanctions and indictments related to corruption, drug trafficking, and human rights abuses.

Trump reportedly rebuffed the plea, warning Maduro that the US would intensify military actions if he refused to step down.

The president also urged key Venezuelan officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, to flee the country. Sources indicate the call occurred last week, amid broader US efforts to pressure the Maduro regime.

The New York Times had earlier reported that the leaders explored conditions for a possible face-to-face meeting, adding another layer to the diplomatic intrigue.

Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” revealed that the US offered Maduro an exit option to Russia or another country, framing it as a pathway to avoid further confrontation.

These disclosures highlight Washington’s strategy to encourage a peaceful transition in Venezuela, where Maduro has clung to power despite international isolation.

Venezuela swiftly condemned the US actions, labeling them as aggressive maneuvers aimed at regime change.

Caracas accused Washington of preparing for an attack, pointing to a significant US
military buildup in the Caribbean, the designation of an alleged Maduro-linked drug cartel as a terrorist organization, and Trump’s declaration that Venezuelan airspace should be considered “closed.”

Venezuelan officials dismissed US claims that these steps target drug trafficking, insisting they are pretexts for seizing the country’s vast oil reserves.

The US has ramped up its presence with deployments including the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, Navy destroyers, F-35B jets, and MQ-9 Reaper drones as part of an anti-narcotics operation launched in September 2025. A $50 million bounty remains on Maduro for his alleged role in the “Cartel of the Suns,” which Venezuela denies exists. Trump’s Thanksgiving remarks at Mar-a-Lago hinted at potential land strikes, emphasizing the need to halt what he called “poison” entering the US.

In response, Maduro appealed to OPEC for intervention, urging the oil cartel to counter what he described as US aggression threatening global energy stability.

China has voiced support for Maduro, with President Xi Jinping criticizing US interference in Venezuelan affairs.