MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Let's go to Minnesota now, and the heart of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's district in Minneapolis. She is one of the four women of color targeted by the president's tweets. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams spoke with some of her constituents and has this report.
BRANDT WILLIAMS, BYLINE: The Karmel Mall in Minneapolis is home to dozens of East African immigrant-owned shops. Most of the stores are closed during this late morning hour. However, a small cafe is bustling with activity. Abdiaziz Doore sits at a table with four other men. They've just finished platefuls of sauteed beef liver, onions and peppers. Doore's reaction was similar to that of many people I spoke with at the mall.
ABDIAZIZ DOORE: I'm really disappointed. It's a racist comment.
WILLIAMS: Doore was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, the same city where Omar is from. He's an American citizen who lives in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis which is in Omar's district. Like tens of thousands of other Somali American immigrants living in the state, Doore says Minnesota is home, and he takes offense at anyone who would tell him or his representative in Congress to leave.
DOORE: Ilhan - her home is Minnesota. And she's our congresswoman, and we are proud of her.
WILLIAMS: That same sentiment was shared by other people I spoke with in Minneapolis, both immigrants and those born in America. Minnesota Democrats in the state legislature and in Washington are supporting Omar. Just today, Minnesota's Democratic Governor Tim Walz chastised the president for what he called divisive language.
So far, no GOP House members representing Minnesota have returned calls for comment. Republican State Representative Kurt Daudt says he didn't read the president's words, but he says where Omar was born shouldn't be a source of criticism.
KURT DAUDT: Her ideas are really, really bad. And, frankly, (laughter) you know, I served with her here for two years, and I think - I got to see her bad ideas for two years firsthand.
WILLIAMS: Omar is not de-escalating her war of words with the president and her other critics. Shortly after the president doubled down on his comments, Omar tweeted, quote, "I will stay in the ring, fighting for what is right and will never back down in the face of these attacks."
For NPR News, I'm Brandt Williams in Minneapolis.
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