Did trump call somalis garbage

1. The moment reported: what was said and where

News outlets report that at the close of a December cabinet meeting the president launched a tirade targeting Somali immigrants, saying “we’ll go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage” and repeating that Somali immigrants are “garbage” multiple times, and later telling reporters they should “go back to where they came from” ^{[1] [2] [4]}.

2. Corroboration across outlets: consistent reporting

The same core language — that Trump called Somalis “garbage” and said he didn’t want them in the country — appears across Reuters, the New York Times, BBC, Fortune, PBS and other outlets, which reported both the cabinet-room remark and the follow-up comments to reporters ^{[1] [3] [5] [6] [7]}.

3. Immediate reactions: alarm, denunciations and local fear

Politicians, community leaders and Somali-Americans reacted with condemnation and alarm; Democrats and civil-rights advocates called the remarks xenophobic and unacceptable, and Somali community members reported heightened fear and threats in the aftermath, including at a Vermont school that flew a Somali flag and then received threats ^{[1] [7] [5]}.

4. Administration posture and allies’ responses

Some Trump allies defended or amplified the stance: administration officials doubled down on enforcement claims, and figures like border-security advocates explicitly supported the president’s crackdown rhetoric, while Republican reactions ranged from silence to endorsing punitive measures such as denaturalization for those accused of fraud — showing a political alignment around enforcement even as critics excoriated the language ^{[1] [8] [9]}.

5. The factual backbone under scrutiny: what prompted the tirade

Reporting tied the outburst to a contested narrative about fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community and an article alleging funds diverted to Al-Shabaab; later reporting raised questions about that source, with one named source calling the City Journal story “bullshit” and saying he was misquoted, prompting caveats about the underlying facts that Trump cited ^{[10] [1]}.

6. Legal, ethical and international fallout flagged by reporters

Analysts warned the rhetoric risks fueling hatred and could have international consequences, as critics said militant groups might use presidential insults to stoke anti‑American sentiment; some outlets also noted the comments echo previous demeaning language used by the president about other countries or groups, framing this as part of a pattern ^{[1] [3]}.

7. Sourcing and reliability: how confidently can reporters assert the quote?

Multiple mainstream outlets reported the remarks consistent with on-the-record White House settings and reporters’ notes; at the same time, follow-up investigations questioned the accuracy of the specific fraud claims that motivated the comments, meaning the core quote is well-documented but the factual justification Trump offered is disputed ^{[2] [10]}.

8. Conclusion: direct answer and context

Directly: yes — reputable media organizations documented President Trump calling Somali immigrants “garbage” and saying he did not want them in the United States during a cabinet meeting and in subsequent remarks ^{[1] [2] [3]}; context matters because the president tied the words to contested reporting about fraud, and reactions reveal political alignment behind enforcement as well as widespread condemnation and concern about the impact of the language ^{[10] [9] [7]}.