Omar Fateh hits back at Vance’s ‘mayor of Mogadishu’ AmericaFest jab

“Nice try @JDVance,” Fateh wrote on X. “My father came to America on a scholarship in the early 60’s, during the civil rights era, and earned a masters in engineering. I was born in DC and proud to represent MPLS in the MN Senate. Looks like you took time away from the couch to try out comedy.”

The Democratic Minnesota state senator lost to incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey in November’s mayoral election after receiving Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) endorsement.

Vance hit out at Fateh and Omar as he was criticizing Democrats for the quality of their candidates.

“They are not sending their best,” he said. “Omar Fateh was Ilhan Omar’s candidate for mayor of Mogadishu — I mean Minneapolis. Little Freudian slip there.”

JD Vance: “They are not sending their best. Omar Fateh was Ilehan [sic] Omar’s candidate for mayor of Mogadishu– I mean Minneapolis. Little Freudian slip there.” pic.twitter.com/mVR62OluT9

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 21, 2025

Others also readily slammed Vance for his comments.

“Wow so authentic,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) wrote on X.

“He has the humor and charisma and comic timing of a wooden pillar. Say what you want about Trump but at least he knows how to deliver his burns and putdowns,” Mehdi Hasan, the CEO of left-leaning news outlet Zeteo, also wrote on social media.

INTERNAL MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL MEMO SETTLES DEBATE ON SOMALI FRAUD

Vance’s comments come as controversy swirls around the Somali community in Minnesota over widespread alleged welfare fraud by the ethnic group in the state. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he didn’t want Somalis in the country.

“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country,” Trump told reporters. “We can go one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.”