Woke Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was sprayed with a liquid later identified as largely apple cider vinegar when a man rushed the stage during a Minneapolis town hall on immigration and federal enforcement on Jan. 27. President Donald Trump was informed and asked about the incident by ABC News and said he “doesn’t think” about her, calling her “a fraud” and asserting that “she probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
At a Minneapolis press briefing after the incident, Omar said “every time the President of the United States chooses to use hateful rhetoric to talk about me and the community that I represent, my death threats skyrocket,” adding that she does not believe she would need such extensive security if Trump were not in office, insinuating it’s the President’s fault she got squirted on. Social media erupted with posts and some right‑wing commentators echoed Trump’s insinuation by speculating that the widely recorded syringe attack was staged for political gain.