The Joy Reid Show | December 4, 2025

Ilhan Omar Responds to Trump's Racist "Somalians" Rant | The Joy Reid Show LIVE!

Episode Overview

In this high-stakes episode, Joy Reid addresses former President Donald Trump’s latest virulent, racist comments about Somali immigrants and Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The episode features a candid, passionate conversation with Rep. Omar herself, analysis of the administration’s escalating white nationalist policies, accountability failures, media complicity, and discussions around war crimes allegations in the Caribbean. The show also features Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Dr. John Gartner analyzing Trump’s apparent cognitive decline, and a spotlight on political candidates challenging far-right incumbents.

Main Segments

1. Trump’s Racist Rant Against Somalis and Ilhan Omar

[00:42–06:09, 112:30–114:16]

• Joy Reid plays audio of Donald Trump’s speech, where Trump labels Somali immigrants as “garbage”, blames them for fraud, and personally attacks Rep. Ilhan Omar.
• Trump: “Ilhan Omar is garbage. She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage… These aren’t people that work… We don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.” [02:05–03:18, replayed at 112:30–114:16]
• Audience of cabinet officials applauds the speech; Joy expresses alarm at the normalization of overt racism from the highest office and the lack of media or cabinet pushback:

  “The reaction of people in that room was to break out into applause… There were no shouts from the media demanding to know [if] it’s appropriate, Mr. President, to call an entire group of immigrants in this country trash and garbage." [03:26–04:25]

2. Joy Reid’s Analysis: “Ethnic Cleansing Administration”

[06:09–11:50]

• Joy contextualizes Trump’s comments amid a broader set of policies aimed mainly at excluding, maligning, and violently targeting Black, brown, and Asian immigrants.
• Outlines white nationalist ideology pervading the administration, including anti-asylum policies, concentration camps for nonwhite immigrants, murder at sea by the US military, and selective refugee exclusions.
• Notable quote:

  “We have a literal white nationalist administration... the attitude and ethos of white nationalism runs all through this administration from top to bottom… from their migration policy to the concentration camps… [to] murder at sea.” [06:09–09:46]

3. Interview: Rep. Ilhan Omar Responds

[11:50–15:01]

• Joy welcomes Rep. Ilhan Omar for her reaction.
• Omar, with wit and composure: “We know that he is bigoted. We know he’s hateful... It’s frankly hilarious… because I don’t think he thinks right. And you say read a book. I don’t think he reads.” [12:36–13:05]
• On being targeted: “I’m complaining about you not following the Constitution for the love of God. Like, you need to follow the Constitution. I’m a lawmaker. I’m your check and balance...” [13:19]
• On Somali-American identity and resilience:

  “Those of us who are Somali in this country see ourselves as Americans. That’s what our passport says… We know that we are protected by the 14th amendment. We’re not going anywhere... We are never intimidated and our confidence is not shaken.” [14:04–14:45]

4. Cabinet and Media Complicity

[15:01–17:04]

• Joy: “I was equally angry at three groups of people… Trump; the cabinet members who applauded; and the media who were silent.” [15:16]
• Omar: “They all have their slew of bigoted, racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic things. So, you know, these are not people you would expect to react any differently... The press... have gotten used to his bigotry. They all have, I think, that delayed reaction.” [15:48–16:23]

5. Impact on Minnesota’s Somali Community

[17:04–19:48]

• Joy asks about response among Omar’s constituents.
• Omar: “A lot of people have responded… with resilience, with arming and empowering themselves with actual information… Over 90% of Somalis in Minnesota are citizens and legal residents.” [17:33, 18:11]
• On ICE intimidation: “People are kind of mocking the ICE agents who are stopping them, just showing their passport IDs and saying, ‘Get lost!’ – probably cursing them out in Somali, which they don’t understand.” [19:02]

6. Apartheid, Fascism, and Political Ignorance

[19:07–20:57]

• Joy compares current conditions to apartheid and 1930s fascism; highlights administration’s language and push for denaturalization, registries, and forced removals.
• Omar: “What is scary… because of his ignorance, so many people have become ignorant with him… It’s not lawful actions the president can carry out, it’s the actions of people who are blindly following him and what they might attempt to do to... anybody they think shouldn’t be in this country because they don’t have white skin, they’re not men, or not Christian.” [19:48–20:57]

7. Welfare Fraud and SNAP Benefits: Policy as Punishment

[21:08–22:53]

• Trump administration withholding SNAP benefits from blue states, using Somali fraud as pretext (despite only ~70 people being accused in an 80,000-strong community).
• Omar: “I’m proud to have Attorney General Keith Ellison in office... He sued and those funds were released… I know he’ll be ready to fight this administration…” [22:07–22:46]

8. War Crimes in the Caribbean and Venezuela Tensions

[22:53–24:45]

• Joy asks about alleged war crimes at sea, possible oil motivations for Venezuela escalation.
• Omar: “[Strikes in the Caribbean] might equal to war crimes... there was certainly no legal... ramification... They would engage at all… We haven’t gotten a briefing.” [23:17–24:35]
• Omar and others in Congress press to stop Pentagon funds for these actions and force votes on war powers.

9. Epstein Files, Trump’s Lawlessness, and House Action

[24:45–26:45]

• Joy connects Trump’s base to pressure for Epstein files release and ongoing criminal deflections.
• Omar: “He’s been spearheading this pedophile protection party… But we are not going to give up in our pressure to get every single document.” [25:23–26:21]
• Omar is among those who will read out names from Epstein files on the House floor if necessary.

10. Trump Administration’s Escalation: War on Drugs, Venezuela, and Oil

[26:45–55:44, 38:51–44:52]

• Joy and later Debbie Wasserman Schultz discuss Trump’s warmongering, “taking the oil” policies, pardoning narco-traffickers, and criminal hypocrisy.
• Various replayed Trump statements showing obsession with oil seizures, Venezuela, and disregard for legality: “Once you go over and take back that oil, they have nothing... In the old days, when you had a war, to the victor belong the spoils.” [42:09–44:52]

11. Media Failure and Erosion of Democratic Standards

[53:37–57:58, plus earlier]

• Joy and Schultz debate the ICJ’s legitimacy over Netanyahu, Trump, and war crimes; media’s unwillingness to push on tough questions; and selective outrage.
• Notable quote from Joy:

  “We have a media problem in which unfortunately my profession simply refuses to acknowledge even bald faced racism and misogyny because nobody wants to seem like they’re being unfair to conservatives.” [129:40]

12. Dr. John Gartner: “Trump’s Cognitive Decline”

[61:34–76:34]

• Joy and Dr. John Gartner, psychologist, explore Trump’s patterns of non sequiturs, memory loss, anger, confusion, unexplained medical procedures, and disinhibition.
• Gartner: “He’s always been a racist. But the expression of it now is more disinhibited and primitive and disorganized... Instead of dog whistles, it’s like diarrhea.” [65:01]
• Notable diagnostic moments:
  • Sleepiness, inappropriate napping as part of dementia [67:04–69:16]
  • Signs of congestive heart failure, possible mini-strokes, bruising, and confusion [73:45–75:24]
• “He’s much worse [cognitively] than Biden ever was at the end of his term. No question.” [76:01]

13. Candidates & Accountability: Spotlight on Sean Harris

[93:57–111:47]

• Interview with Sean Harris, retired brigadier general running in Georgia to unseat Marjorie Taylor Greene.
• Harris on Pete Hegseth’s war crime allegations: “Leaders take responsibility. The reality is, I actually know [the Admiral]. For Pete to say he went to another meeting… nobody goes to another meeting when you’re actually conducting a strike… If it was people on the side of a ship or inside the boat… we got war crimes.” [94:58–95:52]
• On running and leadership: “I call myself an adult in the room. The way I’m going to win this election is talking to everybody in the district, making sure they know you will listen and show real leadership.” [108:08]
• On Congress members trading stocks: “100% in favor of a ban.” [110:23]

14. Closing Segments: Media, Misogyny & New Candidates

[114:57–137:45]

• Joy revisits Trump's Somali obsession, statistical truth on Somalis in Minnesota (1.3% of the population), and use of isolated fraud cases to justify sweeping xenophobic policies.
• Plays Michael Cohen’s 2019 congressional testimony: “Mr. Trump is a racist.” [126:06]
• Media excoriated for normalizing Trump and GOP racism and misogyny ("just a different view"):

  “Trump is a racist. He’s always been a racist and a misogynist creep… He thinks Africans are garbage... Their country stinks... Women are pigs. It’s their own fault if they’re sexually abused. He thinks women are piggy and stupid if they ask him questions.” [130:51–132:02]

• Joy cheers unsuccessful progressive candidate Afton Bain’s “joyful” campaign in Tennessee, urging the party to nurture strong challengers. [134:33–135:26]
• Shout-out to audience for donations to the Justice For Greenwood Foundation [135:26–end]
• Joy ends by blasting the persistent culture of right-wing excuse-making, misogyny, and press silence.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Trump on Somali immigrants [02:05 / 112:30–114:13]:

  “Ilhan Omar is garbage. She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage... Their country stinks... let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”

• Ilhan Omar [Rep., 12:36]:

  “What can you say? You know this man is bigoted. We know that he is hateful... I laugh at the fact that he says I complain about the Constitution. I’m not complaining about the Constitution. I’m complaining about you not following the Constitution...”

• Joy Reid [04:25]:

  “If any president besides Donald Trump had done that, you’d think there might be some questions, some inquiries, some curiosity in that room as to why he mounted that attack… That should have been a 25th Amendment moment.”

• Sean Harris [Generational, 94:58]:

  “Leaders take responsibility. The reality is... If it was people on the side of a ship or inside the boat… we got war crimes… and somebody gonna have to be punished for it.”

• Dr. John Gartner [65:01]:

  “Instead of it being kind of a dog whistle, now it’s like diarrhea... more primitive and explosive and uncontrolled.”

• Debbie Wasserman Schultz [54:22]:

  “He targets alleged drug boats, no evidence, no due process, no declaration from the United States Congress. But then he pardons drug lords... All of this is in service of making sure that the oil money continues to flow into his own coffers.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:35] — Trump’s racist rant played in full
• [11:57] — Ilhan Omar joins for reaction and analysis
• [17:33] — On Somali community response and ICE intimidation
• [22:07] — On SNAP benefit withholding and legal action
• [23:17/23:31] — War crimes at sea and congressional pushback
• [25:23] — Epstein files and congressional action
• [38:51/42:09/44:52] — Trump’s oil & warmongering statements
• [61:34] — Dr. John Gartner interview on Trump’s cognitive decline
• [94:09] — Sean Harris interview on military accountability, Marjorie Taylor Greene, his candidacy
• [114:13] — Replaying Trump’s anti-Somali rant; Joy’s closing analysis

Conclusion

This episode fiercely exposes the normalization of white nationalism, the enabling silence of the press and political enablers, and how authoritarian policies filter down to threaten real communities. Ilhan Omar and Joy Reid provide clarity and resilience in the face of hate; Sean Harris and Debbie Wasserman Schultz address lawlessness and the need for true leadership; and Dr. Gartner offers a sobering professional lens on executive dysfunction. The show ends with hope—spotlighting candidates and victories in hard-fought races and celebrating grassroots activism and support.

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