What he called them · Second term · № 161
Called Somalis 'low IQ people' and 'Somalian bandits' in his Davos address
“Can you believe that, Somalia? They turned out to be higher IQ than we thought. I always say, these are low IQ people, how do they go into Minnesota and steal all that money?”
- Said
- , World Economic Forum address, Davos, Switzerland
- Subject
- Somali Americans in Minnesota
- Target
- Immigrants
- Topic
- Immigration
- Era
- Second term
What happened
Trump was referring to Minnesota's federal fraud prosecutions. Most of the defendants in the largest cases are of Somali descent, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. In the same passage he spoke of '$19 billion in fraud that was stolen by Somalian bandits' and called Somalis 'pirates.' A day earlier, at a White House press briefing on January 20, 2026, he had said 'A lot of very low IQ people' and that piracy is 'about the only thing they're good at.' Residents of Mogadishu condemned the remarks as ignorant, Africanews reported. He kept up the attacks, saying at a May 27, 2026, Cabinet meeting, 'They're all crooks, the Somalians.' Africanews also reported that the administration had said earlier that month it would end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis.