Vice President JD Vance sharply condemned Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s remarks calling for the profiling and monitoring of white men in the United States, labelling them as “genocidal language.” The controversy stems from a resurfaced 2018 interview in which Omar suggested that the US should be more focused on the threat posed by white men, arguing that they were responsible for the majority of deaths in the country.
Omar, speaking to journalist Mehdi Hasan, explained her stance on national security, saying: “I would say our country should be more fearful of white men across our country because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country.” She continued, “And so if fear was the driving force of policies to keep America safe, Americans safe inside of this country, we should be profiling, monitoring, and creating policies to fight the radicalisation of white men.”
Vance, did not hold back in his condemnation. He referred to Omar’s comments as “genocidal language,” adding, “What a disgrace this person is.”
In response, Omar pushed back, defending her remarks in a statement. She clarified, “In this nearly 8-year-old clip, I am referring to the rise of white nationalism in an annual report issued by the Anti-Defamation League that said white supremacists were responsible for 78 percent of ‘extremist-related murders.’” Omar also took the opportunity to challenge Vance’s use of the term “genocidal,” suggesting he should “look up what ‘genocidal’ actually means when you’re actively supporting a genocide taking place in Gaza.”
This comment, which resurfaced when conservative activist Laura Loomer shared the video again, reignited the debate over Omar’s views. Loomer, who has previously criticised Omar for her alleged ties to extremist groups, posted the video with the caption: “Ilhan Omar, a jihadist member of Congress who has documented ties to HAMAS, the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS, says jihadists aren’t a threat and we should instead be creating policies and databases here in the US to ‘profile white men,’ who she says are the biggest terror threat.”
This controversy comes on the heels of a separate incident where Omar found herself under fire for an expletive-laden response to a reporter. When asked about a controversial deportee, Omar angrily told the journalist, “I think you should f**k off,” before later defending the exchange online.