Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) delivered a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump Tuesday night after a man rushed the stage at her Minneapolis town hall and sprayed an unknown substance at her — an incident she brushed off before turning her fire directly on the president.
Omar was not injured in the attack and refused to end the event early, despite staff urging her to stop and seek medical attention. Instead, she stayed, finished the town hall, and later made clear she wasn’t rattled.
“I have survived war,” Omar said afterward. “I am definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me because I’m built that way.”
The suspect was identified as 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak, according to Minneapolis police. He was arrested at the scene and charged with third-degree assault, then booked into Hennepin County Jail. Authorities have not yet confirmed what substance was sprayed, though city forensic scientists were called in to process the area.
Kazmierczak has a documented history of posting politically charged content online, including material critical of Omar. Court records do not yet list an attorney for him.
The U.S. Capitol Police condemned the attack, calling it “unacceptable” and vowing swift consequences. The agency noted that threats and concerning behavior directed at members of Congress surged last year, underscoring growing fears about political violence.
Trump’s response only escalated the situation.
Asked by ABC News whether he had watched video of the attack, Trump dismissed the incident entirely. “I don’t think about her,” he said, calling Omar “a fraud” and suggesting — without evidence — that she staged the incident herself. “She probably had herself sprayed,” Trump said.
Omar responded within hours.
“Sorry, Trump — you’re panicking,” she wrote on X. “Your support is collapsing.”
“Right on cue, you’re deflecting from your failures with lies and conspiracy theories about me,” she added. “Years of ‘investigations’ have found nothing. Get your goons out of Minnesota.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz weighed in, warning that the country is being pushed toward more violence by “cruel, inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric” from national leaders. Several Republicans also condemned the attack, saying physical violence against elected officials is unacceptable regardless of political differences.
The town hall itself was already a flashpoint before the attack. Omar used the event to blast the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, accusing federal agents of “terrorizing” communities and acting in a “reckless and lawless” manner. She again called for the abolition of ICE and said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should resign or face impeachment.
Omar praised Minnesotans for rallying together amid heightened federal enforcement and the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, saying the response showed “what real solidarity looks like.”
Long a target of Trump and House Republicans, Omar is now facing renewed scrutiny over her family’s finances from the Justice Department and the House Oversight Committee — investigations she did not directly address at the town hall.
Instead, she leaned into defiance.
“I don’t know any home the way I know this home,” Omar said of the United States. “And I do feel strong sentiments toward immigrants who find home here.”
After surviving an on-stage attack and shrugging off Trump’s insults, Omar declared that intimidation won’t silence her — and Trump’s pressure campaign is only proving her point.
