Has any recording or transcript verified Ilhan Omar saying 'When Somalia calls, I answer first' or similar words?
Executive summary
No available recording or complete, reliable transcript in the provided reporting shows Ilhan Omar saying the exact phrase “When Somalia calls, I answer first” or the widely circulated “Somalians first, Muslims second” wording; multiple outlets say her remarks were mistranslated or disputed and that translations differ [1] [2]. Republicans seized on one translation and demanded ethics inquiries, while local Somali community members and some reporters say the remark was misinterpreted or taken out of context [3] [1].
1. The origin story: a speech in Somali that spawned competing translations
The controversy traces to a January speech Omar delivered to a largely Somali audience in Minneapolis; at least one circulated translation rendered her remarks as suggesting loyalty to Somalia, prompting immediate political backlash and calls for investigation [1] [3]. Sahan Journal reports local Somali livestreams and community members saying the line was mistranslated and that the clip was exploited amid the Somaliland–Ethiopia dispute [1].
2. What Republican leaders did with the translation
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and other Republicans treated the contested translation as a literal statement of divided loyalty, filing an ethics complaint and demanding further scrutiny, framing the allegation as a potential violation of her oath of office [3] [4]. Conservative outlets amplified the phrasing and used it to argue Omar’s loyalties lie with Somalia, not Minnesota or the U.S. [5] [6].
3. How Omar and local sources responded
Omar and local Somali community members said the remarks were mistranslated and taken out of context; Minnesota reporters and community voices warned that the nuance of the Somali-language remarks — delivered during a community event about Somaliland and Ethiopia — was lost in translations circulated online [1] [7]. Omar’s office and local reporting urged readers to consider original-language context rather than viral clips [7] [1].
4. Media fragmentation: divergent accounts across outlets
Conservative and fringe outlets published headlines asserting she said “Somalians first, Muslims second” or that she vowed to “protect the interests of Somalia from inside the US system,” while mainstream local outlets like the Minnesota Reformer and Sahan Journal reported that their translations did not support those exact phrasings [6] [2] [1]. The disparity demonstrates how different outlets treated an unverified translation as fact [6] [2].
5. What the verified record shows — and what it does not
Available sources in this set report disputed translations, local livestreams, and claims of mistranslation; none provide a definitive, verifiable audio or complete transcript that contains the quoted line “When Somalia calls, I answer first” or the precise phrase “Somalians first, Muslims second” as an indisputable direct quote [1] [2]. The reporting documents controversy and political fallout, not a clean, corroborated verbatim transcript of those exact words [3] [1].
6. Political motives and the incentive structure around the clip
Republican leaders had political incentive to amplify an inflammatory-sounding translation — Emmer immediately sought ethics scrutiny — and conservative outlets and partisan social channels repeatedly circulated versions that suited that narrative [3] [5]. Local Somali sources and some reporters stress that these incentives help explain rapid amplification before independent verification occurred [1].
7. How to verify further (what sources would settle this)
A full, time-stamped audio or video of the entire event plus certified translations by neutral linguists would settle whether Omar used the precise phrases in English or Somali; the current reporting cites mistranslation claims and competing translations but does not include an authoritative, verbatim transcript in English that matches the viral quotes [1] [7]. Available sources do not mention a definitive independent transcript or forensic audio analysis that corroborates the viral lines [1].
8. Bottom line for readers
Based on the reporting provided, the most responsible conclusion is that a disputed Somali-language remark was translated in several ways and weaponized politically; no provided source offers a verified recording or transcript that proves Omar said “When Somalia calls, I answer first” or the exact “Somalians first, Muslims second” line as an incontrovertible quote [1] [3] [2]. Readers should treat viral clips claiming those exact words with skepticism until independent, full translations and original audio are published [1].