Trump attacks Somalia again: “Not a country, they’re only good at piracy”

U.S. President Donald Trump told Newsmax that Somalia “is not a government, it’s not a country, it’s not even anything,” claiming Somalis are “only good at piracy.”

Speaking about Somalia in an interview with Newsmax’s Finnerty program, U.S. President Donald Trump said: “A country? It’s nothing. There are no leaders, they shoot each other all day long, they loot ships.”

“They’re only good at piracy, right? This is not a government. This is not a country, it’s not even anything,” Trump said. The remarks came as he criticized Somali-born Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, whom he called “a very corrupt person” in the same interview.

Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia (file photo)

Not the first time

Trump has made similar remarks before. In January 2026, at a White House event, he said Somalia was “not even a country,” and in his Davos speech he described Somalis as “pirates,” drawing criticism from the Somali community in the United States.