Trump Calls Somali Immigrants ‘Garbage’

Summary

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WSJ What’s News — "Trump Calls Somali Immigrants ‘Garbage’"

Host: Caitlin McCabe (The Wall Street Journal)
Air Date: December 3, 2025

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Episode Overview

This morning’s episode delivers brisk coverage of the day's biggest stories in business, politics, and global developments, with a focus on escalating rhetoric surrounding immigration, shifting U.S. political landscapes, and strain in global geopolitics. The show is anchored by Caitlin McCabe, who guides listeners through the fallout from President Trump's controversial comments on Somali immigrants, a closely watched Tennessee special election, and updates on U.S. car markets and self-driving technology.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Tennessee Special Election Results

• Summary:
  Republican Matt Van Epps wins a special House election in a traditionally safe GOP Nashville suburb, but with a narrower margin than usual.
• Key Quotes:
  • [01:10] Matt Van Epps: “Tonight we showed Running from Trump is how you lose.”
  • [01:16] Caitlin McCabe: “Running with Trump is how you win.”
  • [01:43] Sharon Turlop (Democratic operative): “The Republicans made these districts to be uncompetitive... we did not back down. We showed up.”
• Implications:
  • Despite a GOP victory, the reduced margin signals increased Democratic momentum ahead of the 2026 midterms.
  • Turnout rivaled that of the 2022 midterms, indicating high voter engagement.

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2. Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and Reaction

• Summary:
  President Trump refers to Somali immigrants as "garbage," intensifying his administration’s hardline stance on immigration just ahead of a large ICE operation in Minneapolis.
• Key Quotes:
  • [00:26] Donald Trump: “I don't want them in our country. I'll be honest with you, okay?... Their country is no good for a reason.”
  • [02:47] Donald Trump: “From hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don't want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”
• Reactions:
  • [03:14] Daniel Bach (quoting Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey): “To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you.”
  • [03:21] Daniel Bach: “Minneapolis is proud to be home to the largest Somali community in the entire country.”
• Context:
  • The remarks and ICE operation follow a recent shooting involving an Afghan refugee, contributing to heightened tension and fear among immigrants.
  • The U.S. Census estimates about 40,000 Minnesota residents were born in Somalia, with most holding legal status.

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3. International Affairs Update

• Venezuela:
  • The Pope urges the Trump administration to use dialogue and economic pressure, not military force, against Maduro’s government.
  • Trump pardons former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, creating fresh political turmoil in Central America ([04:20]).
• Ukraine War:
  • U.S.-Russia talks stalled over demands for Kyiv to cede Donbass.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio notably skips the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels—first U.S. absence since 1999 ([04:57]).
  • [05:23] Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Sakana:
    “Europe never attacks Russia. We will never do it. NATO never attacks nobody. So this is just... playing with our minds.”
• Europe’s Military Preparations:

  • Reporter Matthew Luxmore (from Lithuania) describes new border defenses planned to deter Russian advances ([05:50]):

    “It's clear these fences are not currently designed to withstand a full scale enemy attack... The idea is to install layers of obstacles... from anti-tank ditches to landmines.”

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4. U.S. Auto Market in Stagnation

• Summary:
  Despite prior optimism for 2025, new U.S. car sales are slumping as consumers balk at persistently high prices.
• Key Insights:
  • [08:01] Sharon Turlop (WSJ Auto Reporter):
    “A lot of the consumers who were willing to absorb these higher prices have bought their vehicles… We're just seeing more people who are balking at car prices where they're at right now.”
  • [09:27] Sharon Turlop:
    “EV sales have dropped off substantially… We're still selling cars, but they're smaller cars. Consumers are just really, really fighting for discounts.”
  • Repairs and used vehicles are also expensive due to part shortages and high demand ([10:12]).
  • Industry Dilemma:
    Will automakers raise prices further or absorb tariff costs as global economic pressures continue? ([10:47])

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5. Waymo’s Assertive Software Update

• Summary:
  Waymo's famously cautious self-driving vehicles are now programmed to drive more assertively—a response to traffic flow realities.
• Key Quotes/Stories:
  • [11:47] Katherine Binley (WSJ Tech Reporter):
    “Waymos actually need to be more, quote, confidently assertive… Because when the cars are so polite and so deferential... it can cause disruptions.”
  • [12:31] Katherine Binley (on a robotaxi’s police run-in):
    “There was a Waymo who actually pulled an illegal U turn ... there was no driver in the front seat, but the window did roll down... The operator... was very apologetic.”
• Stats:
  • Waymo claims a 91% reduction in serious injury crashes versus human drivers ([12:52]).
• Cities Covered:
  • San Francisco, LA, Austin, Phoenix, and Atlanta.

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• [00:26] Trump: “I don't want them in our country… Their country is no good for a reason.”
• [02:47] Trump: “From hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don't want them in our country.”
• [01:10] Matt Van Epps: “Tonight we showed Running from Trump is how you lose.”
• [01:43] Sharon Turlop: “The Republicans made these districts to be uncompetitive... we did not back down. We showed up.”
• [03:14] Daniel Bach (quoting Mayor Jacob Frey): “To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you.”
• [05:23] Margus Sakana: “Europe never attacks Russia. We will never do it. NATO never attacks nobody. So this is just... playing with our minds.”
• [11:47] Katherine Binley: “Waymos actually need to be more, quote, confidently assertive...”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:09] — Headlines: Tennessee election, Trump’s remarks, Waymo’s driving update
• [01:10–01:53] — Tennessee special election coverage
• [02:47–03:27] — Trump’s anti-immigrant comments and Minneapolis response
• [03:27–05:37] — Venezuela, Honduras, Ukraine/NATO updates
• [05:50–06:22] — Lithuanian military border preparations
• [07:23–11:19] — U.S. auto industry discussion
• [11:24–12:52] — Waymo's new assertive driving behaviors

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Tone and Language

The episode maintains the Wall Street Journal’s crisp, matter-of-fact reporting, with direct reporting of political rhetoric and reaction, contextual expertise from subject reporters, and a brisk pace through diverse, newsworthy topics. Notable for its straightforward presentation—even when quoting incendiary or politically charged language—providing listeners information to form their own opinions.

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For Further Information

• Extended reporting on Europe’s military preparedness is linked in the episode’s show notes.
• Continued coverage of the Minnesota Somali community and national immigration policy expected in future episodes.

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Transcript

[Genspark Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by genspark. Your all in one AI workspace. Work like a boss.

[Caitlin McCabe]

Republicans pull out a victory in Tennessee's special election, though a tighter than usual margin keeps Democrats fired up. Plus, President Trump lashes out against Somali immigrants ahead of a reported ICE operation in Minneapolis.

[Donald Trump]

I don't want them in our country. I'll be honest with you, okay? Somebody would say, oh, that's not politically correct. I don't care. I don't want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason.

[Caitlin McCabe]

And it's no more Mr. Nice Guy for Waymo as the company pushes to make its self driving cars more assertive on the road. It's Wednesday, December 3rd. I'm Caitlin McCabe for the Wall Street Journal and here is the AM edition of what's news, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today. We begin in Tennessee, where an especially tight and closely watched election has ended in Republicans favor. Republican Matt Van Epps fended off a challenge from Democrat Afton Bain to fill a vacant House seat.

[Matt Van Epps]

Tonight we showed Running from Trump is how you lose.

[Caitlin McCabe]

Running with Trump is how you win. Van Epps, speaking there last night after securing 54% of the vote compared with Bain's 45%. While comfortable, the GOP's margin of victory was smaller than in past wins for the heavily read Nashville area district, which Democrats took to suggest that momentum is shift shifting their way. In her speech last night, Bain said the results were the beginning of something powerful in Tennessee and across the South.

[Sharon Turlop]

The Republicans made these districts to be uncompetitive. They wanted, they wanted us to back down and we did not back down. We showed up.

[Caitlin McCabe]

The special election had been viewed as a gauge of the political climate before the 2026 midterms, with recent wins at the ballot box suggesting Democrats have a strong chance to take back control of the House. Yesterday's turnout show showed just how energized voters are, with levels reaching those of the 2022 midterms. Donald Trump has lashed out against Somali immigrants in Minneapolis, describing them in disparaging terms ahead of an expected ICE operation. It's the latest in Trump's reverse migration push, which has ramped up since the shooting of two National Guard members allegedly carried out by an Afghan refugee. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump said the US Is at a tipping point and that the country would, quote, go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage when they come.

[Donald Trump]

From hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don't want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it. Thank you very much, everybody.

[Caitlin McCabe]

Responding to reports that ICE is expected to send 100 officers to Minneapolis, Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey was steadfast in his support for the city's Somali community.

[Daniel Bach]

To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you.

[Caitlin McCabe]

That commitment is rock solid.

[Daniel Bach]

Minneapolis is proud to be home to the largest Somali community in the entire country.

[Caitlin McCabe]

According to estimates from the U.S. census Bureau, about 40,000 Minnesota residents were born in Somalia, most holding forms of legal status. Pope Leo has waded into the Trump administration's simmering conflict with Venezuela, urging the White House to turn to dialogue and economic pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government rather than by threatening military action. The Trump administration has accused Maduro of human rights abuses and drug trafficking, while arguing that the threat posed by illegal drugs to the US Justifies its military campaign to target drug runners in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez walked out of a West Virginia prison yesterday after he was pardoned by Trump. Hernandez was convicted last year of helping smuggle 400 tons of cocaine and was serving a 45 year prison sentence. The pardon fuels more political uncertainty in the Central American nation, which is in the middle of a presidential election. Marathon talks between Russia and the US to end the war in Ukraine finished without an agreement yesterday. Territory has emerged as one of the main stumbling blocks, with Moscow demanding that Kyiv cede all of the eastern Donbass region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected that. The conclusion of the talks come as NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be noticeably absent with a deputy attending in his place. A NATO spokeswoman said America's top diplomat hasn't missed the event since 1999. Rubio's absence has raised questions about Washington's commitment to the transatlantic alliance and comes as President Vladimir Putin yesterday said Russia was prepared to fight a war with Europe if attacked. Here's Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Sakana.

[Donald Trump]

He's using these typical tactics to play without fears. But worst thing, Europe never attacks Russia. We will never do it. NATO never attacks nobody. So this is just, you know, playing with our minds.

[Caitlin McCabe]

European countries have been preparing for a potential conflict, including Russia's near neighbor, Lithuania. Foreign correspondent Matthew Luxmore recently headed there to observe the preparations underway.

[Matt Van Epps]

Traveling along the border today, it's clear these fences are not currently designed to withstand a full scale enemy attack. But the Lithuanian military plans to construct additional barriers across what it describes as a Baltic defence line in collaboration with Estonia, Latvia and Poland. The idea is to install layers of obstacles behind the current border in order to channel and delay an enemy advance. Each section will include another type of defensive measure, from anti tank ditches to landmines.

[Caitlin McCabe]

For a closer look at how Europe is preparing for a potential war with Russia, check out Matthew's reporting from Eastern Europe. We've left a link in our show notes Coming up, Americans reach their breaking point with sky high car prices. Plus, after years of being some of the politest cars on the road, self driving waymos start to get pushy. Those stories after the break.

[Genspark Announcer]

This episode is powered by genspark your all in one AI workspace. You know that feeling when everything clicks, ideas flowing, work flying? Now imagine that with a designer, a developer and a researcher working alongside you. From presentations to prototypes, genspark automates the busy work so you can focus on what moves you forward. Stop choosing what to build. Build it all. All from a single prompt. Follow your spark at genspark AI. That's G E N S P A R K AI.

[Caitlin McCabe]

For the US auto industry, 2025 was supposed to be a banner year, fueled by tax cuts and a rollback on environmental regulations. Analysts predicted a third straight year of sales increases as carmakers moved past a pandemic slowdown and semiconductor shortages. But this week, new data shows US Car sales are slumping and forecasts are predict to no growth for the year. With even more of the same in 2026, Journal reporter Sharon Turlop covers the global auto industry. She spoke to our Daniel Bach about why consumers seem to be losing patience with high prices for cars.

[Sharon Turlop]

There are a few reasons. Part of it is that a lot of the consumers who were willing to absorb these higher prices have bought their vehicles. And a lot of the people in the market who are left, and we're hearing this particularly from dealers, are people who have held out and held out specifically because they didn't want to pay higher prices. And probably a bigger part of it is the larger economic pressures. There's inflation, the job market is less certain. And so we're just seeing more people who are balking at car prices where they're at right now.

[Daniel Bach]

And can you just unpack a little bit why car prices have got to this point and why they are so high?

[Sharon Turlop]

So car sales have continued to grow. And the reason prices shot up has a lot to do with with the combination of all the factories being shut down during the coronavirus pandemic. And then there was a big semiconductor shortage. So supply was incredibly tight, which drives up prices. Automakers like GM and Toyota and all these companies that have a really big North American footprint have managed to avoid much of the brunt of the tariffs that we've seen lately. But most analysts say these tariffs are still working their way through the supply chain, whether it's materials or parts. And so while companies haven't passed through a big price increase because of tariffs, most people think that's showing up a bit in the pricing.

[Daniel Bach]

And are we seeing this starting to hit the industry? That is people not buying because of the sticker shock?

[Sharon Turlop]

What we're seeing is what could be the beginning of something and a new dynamic. Part of this is that EV sales have dropped off substantially, and particularly in the US where there was a big tax credit that ended in September. So we saw a bunch of people rushing to buy EVs and then not buying them in big numbers, but also just seeing more muted sales growth. We talked to a lot of dealers, and they're saying, yeah, you know, we're still selling cars, but they're smaller cars. Consumers are just really, really fighting for discounts. They're having to take money off the hood. So it's showing up in a number of different ways.

[Daniel Bach]

Sharon, you mentioned inflation and the cost of everything being higher. That includes car repairs, right? For people that are hanging onto a used car, sure.

[Sharon Turlop]

I mean, we keep hearing over and over, there's really no relief, because when new cars are expensive and when new cars are in short supply, that trickles down to used cars. So used cars are very expensive, and because of tariffs and demand, car parts are expensive, and there's a shortage of mechanics. So even the labor to get your car repaired is expensive. So really, every aspect of car ownership is very costly right now.

[Daniel Bach]

So we don't really seem to see any easing in prices. So what is the industry talking about here in terms of helping themselves?

[Sharon Turlop]

Yeah, certainly there's going to be a lot of discussions around price. The automakers can raise or cut prices, and the dealers can cut prices as well. So I think there's a lot of discussion coming around. Do we raise prices as the tariffs go through? And as costs go through, do car companies continue to absorb tariff costs? How much do both dealers and automakers move in either direction? And that's going to be a big point of discussion on both levels at the end of this year.

[Daniel Bach]

Journal reporter Sharon Turloop covers the global auto industry. Sharon, thanks for this.

[Sharon Turlop]

Glad to be here. Thank you.

[Caitlin McCabe]

And if you're not a car owner but a keen user of Waymo's self driving cars. You might want to pay attention to this update. That's because the vehicles, which are known for their achingly cautious driving and polite behavior, are adopting a more aggressive driving style akin to a New York taxi driver. Here's Journal tech reporter Katherine Binley.

[Katherine Binley]

People in San Francisco have been noticing that Waymos have started getting a bit more assertive and really coming into their own. I spoke with someone over at Waymo who's in product management there, and he made the point that Waymos actually need to be more, quote, confidently assertive, as he put it, than they previously were. Because when the cars are so polite and so deferential, it doesn't actually help with the flow of traffic much. It can cause disruptions. And so if they're too passive, then you know, that's not a great experience for the other cars on the road.

[Caitlin McCabe]

And while the Waymo update is important for the self driving car's integration on the busy streets of San Francisco, Catherine says it hasn't been smooth sailing.

[Katherine Binley]

There was a Waymo who actually pulled an illegal U turn and there happened to be two police officers nearby and they pulled the Waymo over. There was no driver in the front seat, but the window did roll down. One of the officers told me that the operator who spoke to them over a speaker said that they would look into it and that they were very apologetic.

[Caitlin McCabe]

Waymo's driverless vehicles operate in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Phoenix and Atlanta, with the company saying it's had 91% fewer crashes involving a serious injury when compared to human drivers. And that's it for what's news for this Wednesday morning. Today's show is produced by Hattie Moyer and Daniel Bach. Our supervising producer is Sandra Kilhoff, and I'm Caitlin McCabe for the Wall Street Journal. We'll be back tonight with a new show. Until then, thanks for listening.

[Genspark Announcer]

This episode is powered by genspark. Your all in one AI workspace. You know that feeling when everything clicks, ideas flowing, work flying. Now imagine that with a designer, a developer and a researcher working alongside you. From presentations to prototypes, genspark automates the busy work so you can focus on what moves you forward. Stop choosing what to build. Build it all, all from a single prompt. Follow your spark at genspark AI that's G, E, N S P A R K AI.