President Donald Trump used a late-night Thanksgiving post on Thursday to revive some of his harshest immigration rhetoric, targeting political rivals and calling for what he described as a permanent pause on migration from what he called “all Third World Countries.”
While he opened his Truth Social message with a standard holiday greeting, the post quickly shifted into a lengthy tirade about immigration, crime, and political opponents.
Trump claimed his proposed migration freeze was prompted by a fatal shooting in Washington, D.C., in which the suspect is an Afghan national. He criticized “American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up,” suggesting that lenient immigration policies were to blame.
The 79-year-old president also revisited familiar territory, returning to grievances about Somalia and Somali immigrants in Minnesota. Speaking earlier in the evening, he told reporters that “Somalians have caused a lot of trouble” and insisted: “We’re not taking their people anymore. We’re getting a lot of their people out because they’re nothing but trouble.”
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Trump went on to claim that Minnesota had become a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and argued that Somali refugees were “completely taking over” the state.
Trump Targets Gov. Tim Walz With Offensive Slur
In one of the most inflammatory moments of his Thanksgiving message, Trump used an offensive slur to attack Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Frustrated by what he called politically correct immigration policies, Trump wrote that “The seriously r******d Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both.”
Walz responded on X by reposting the message with the caption “Release the MRI results,” referencing Trump’s acknowledgment that he recently underwent an MRI without specifying the reason.
Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar and Immigration Policy
Trump also directed insults at Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia and has lived in the U.S. for three decades.
He labeled her “the worst ‘Congressman/woman’ in our Country” and mocked her attire, saying she was “always wrapped in her swaddling hijab.” He described her birthplace as a “decadent, backward, and crime ridden nation” and accused her of constantly complaining about America.
The president continued to place blame on immigration policies, criticizing the arrival of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused in the recent D.C. shooting. According to CNN, Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted it by the Trump administration in April 2025.
When a reporter noted that federal agencies reported thorough vetting of Afghan arrivals, Trump called her “stupid” and avoided confirming whether the suspect’s asylum approval occurred under his watch.
Credit: Samuel Corum / Getty Images.
Plans for Migration Freeze and Immigration Review
In his post, Trump argued that many immigrants come from “failed nations or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels” and rely on what he described as “massive” welfare payments. He then renewed his call to “permanently pause migration” from all "Third World countries", a step he said was necessary to “allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”
He added that his administration would deport any foreign national deemed a security risk, a public charge, or “non-compatible with Western Civilization,” concluding that “only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.”
Earlier on Thursday, Trump ordered a sweeping review of all green card holders from “countries of concern.” Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said the reexamination would be “full-scale” and argued that American safety was “non-negotiable.”
Trump closed his holiday message by writing: “Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long!”