(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump on Wednesday stated that Somali-American Representative Ilhan Omar should be removed from the country and barred from serving in Congress.

"These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. They have a representative, Ilhan Omar...she shouldn't be allowed to be a congresswoman...and she should be thrown the hell out of our country," he told reporters.

Trump also criticized Omar for frequently referencing the Constitution, suggesting that she "go back" to her country of origin to "figure out that constitution."

"They shouldn't even be allowed to be congresspeople because they don't represent the interests of our country," he added.

In addition, Trump attacked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, stating:
"You have an incompetent governor. You have a crooked governor. He's crooked as hell, but he's (also) incompetent."

The remarks followed Trump’s comments at a Cabinet meeting, in which he claimed that Somali residents in Minnesota "ripped off" the state for billions of dollars annually and "contribute nothing."
"I don't want them in our country," he said.

Omar responded on Wednesday, calling Trump’s "obsession" with her and the Somali community "creepy and unhealthy," adding:
"I am not someone to be intimidated."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned Trump’s statements as "dangerous and openly racist rhetoric" targeting Omar and the Somali-American community.

Separately, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre dismissed Trump’s comments, according to local media reports.

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