President Donald Trump on Thursday told Minnesotans to "fight back" against Somali immigrants. In a Truth Social post, he said the state "is being taken over by Somali Immigrants" and called Gov. Tim Walz "an incompetent thief." He said Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey "must immediately ask for Federal help" and "leave the rest to us."

"If you need, the Federal Government will come to your rescue," Trump wrote. The White House did not quickly answer NBC News when asked what he meant by "fight back."

Minnesota leaders hit back fast. Frey told Newsweek the post was "misleading, racist, and uninformed." Walz told Newsweek that Trump was "lashing out at blue states." Attorney General Keith Ellison said, "Somali Minnesotans are our neighbors."

The post came a day after federal officials charged Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, a U.S. citizen of Somali descent. Prosecutors say he took an AK-47-style rifle and about 200 rounds from an undercover FBI agent, believing they would be used in an ISIS-linked attack. Investigators say he talked about a mass shooting at the Mall of America. The Washington Examiner reports he intended to kill 30 to 60 people.

Late Wednesday, Trump also called Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, a "RADICAL Extremist." El-Sayed said Trump was using his faith to distract from high prices. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the rhetoric desperate and racist, Reuters reported.

Trump has targeted Minnesota's Somali community for close to a year. He often points to a pandemic-era fraud scheme that stole from a federally funded child nutrition program. Many defendants were Somali American. The leader of the scheme, Aimee Bock, is not Somali. She was sentenced to 41 years in prison in May.

After reports of the fraud last year, immigration agents launched Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities. Newsweek reports it ran from December 2025 into early 2026, and two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal agents. The operation is no longer active, but a White House task force led by Vice President JD Vance is still looking into fraud.

What we know: Trump urged Minnesotans to "fight back" and offered federal help, and state leaders rejected the post.

What we don't: What kind of federal help Trump has in mind, or whether Walz or Frey will respond to the offer with any request.