Trump Attacks Rep. Ilhan Omar, Abdul El-Sayed at Ohio Rally

President Donald Trump criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a Republican rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday night, hours after federal agents searched Omar's Washington home, according to NBC News. The crowd chanted "deport" at several points during the remarks, NBC reported.

What Trump said about Omar at the rally

"I don't know what they're doing with it, but I can tell you this: She's a disaster," Trump told the crowd, referring to the search of Omar's home, NBC News reported. He went on to describe Omar's country of birth in dismissive terms, saying she "comes in from a country without laws, without police, without military, where all they do is shoot each other," and added, "She's telling us about the Constitution, and she comes from one of the worst countries anywhere on the planet," according to the outlet.

Omar was born in Somalia and immigrated to the United States as a child decades ago, NBC News reported. Trump then referenced Somali gang activity in Minnesota and a shooting plot at the Mall of America that the FBI has said was thwarted, which the Associated Press reported was allegedly orchestrated by an American-born U.S. citizen of Somali descent. NBC News said the first chants of "deport" began as Trump discussed that case.

Why federal agents searched Omar's home

Two people familiar with the investigation told NBC News that federal agents searched Omar's Washington, D.C., home earlier Monday. A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement that Homeland Security Investigations "executed a judicially authorized search warrant" as "part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation," according to NBC News. The statement did not specify that the investigation targeted Omar or provide further detail on its scope, the outlet reported.

Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, before the rally, Trump said he had "nothing to do" with the search, NBC News reported.

How Trump turned his attack toward El-Sayed

Trump pivoted from his remarks on Omar and Somali immigration in Minnesota to an attack on El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for a Michigan Senate seat, calling the people involved "crazy," according to NBC News. El-Sayed was born in Michigan to Egyptian immigrants, the outlet reported, a biographical detail that contrasts with the attacks Trump leveled against both him and Omar over their immigrant backgrounds.

How Omar responded to the rally remarks

Omar addressed the search of her home earlier Monday, before the rally, writing on X: "For 10 years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation," according to NBC News.

Rally and search, by the numbers

• 10 years: the length of time Omar says Trump has targeted her with what she called "baseless lies and smear campaigns," per her statement on X cited by NBC News.
• Oct. 12, 2026: the date of both the search of Omar's home and the Youngstown rally, according to NBC News.
• 2: the number of people familiar with the investigation who confirmed the search to NBC News; the Justice Department's public statement did not name Omar directly.

Key terms in the story

Homeland Security Investigations: The Department of Homeland Security's criminal investigative division, which the Justice Department said executed the search warrant at Omar's home, per NBC News.

Judicially authorized search warrant: A warrant approved by a court allowing agents to search a specific location, as described in the Justice Department's statement to NBC News.

Senate nominee: El-Sayed's status as the Democratic Party's selected candidate for a Michigan U.S. Senate seat, as identified by NBC News.

The Justice Department has not detailed the subject matter of the investigation tied to the search, and Trump's campaign-trail remarks did not address the specifics of the warrant, according to NBC News. Omar's office and the Michigan Senate campaign did not provide additional comment beyond her X post, as reported by the outlet.

For the full account of the rally, including additional context on the Minnesota incidents Trump referenced, see NBC News' report.