A newly circulated video from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is raising serious concerns after she appeared to urge her supporters to “use every single leverage” against those she accuses of siding with an “authoritarian regime.”
Her message comes at a tense moment for the US, and many see her rhetoric as a dangerous signal to an already-agitated radical base.
Omar declared: “As much as Trump and his cronies want to act like we have no power to respond, the truth is we are more powerful than we think we are.” She then pushed her followers to act: “We need to make sure that those who are collaborating with the authoritarian regime pay a costly price.”
In today’s climate—after a leftist extremist murdered conservative leader Charlie Kirk, and with prominent Democrat officials making shocking comments about political violence—Omar’s phrasing is drawing sharp criticism. Whether she intended to incite her supporters or not, the ambiguity of her language is enough to embolden extremists who already interpret political conflict as a call to action.