President Donald Trump brought his midterm blitz back to Ohio on Wednesday night, and one moment brought the packed crowd to its feet: when he turned his fire on Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
Speaking at the Shoemaker Center on the Ohio University Chillicothe campus, Trump repeated his claim that Omar has committed immigration fraud and said she should resign from Congress. The crowd answered with chants of “Lock her up!”, according to NBC News.
What Trump said
“She comes from Somalia, which isn’t even really a country. They have no government. All they have is crime and killing,” Trump told the rally. “She comes over and tells us how to run the United States of America. It’s a disgrace.”
The attack comes about a week after federal agents searched Omar’s home in Washington as part of a federal probe into her alleged immigration fraud. Omar has denied any wrongdoing.
Standing by Vivek
Trump also doubled down on his defense of Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican running for Ohio governor, over a campaign ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton. “The mother said that Amy Acton, the daughter, is a liar,” Trump said. “How the hell is that his problem?” He added that if Ramaswamy “were a Democrat, they would have gone the other way.” The ad has drawn criticism, including from some Republicans, and Acton has said she has not spoken with her mother in 50 years.
Protesters shown the door
Minutes after Trump began speaking, three protesters were escorted out of the arena. Trump labeled them “paid protesters,” as he has at several of his recent rallies.
Why Ohio matters
This was Trump’s third visit to Ohio this month. He came to boost Sen. Jon Husted, who faces former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a special election for the Senate seat once held by JD Vance, and Ramaswamy in the governor’s race. Polls show both contests are close, and supporters reportedly lined up hours before the doors opened.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and early voting is already underway in Ohio.