News Article
Published
Oct 22, 2026 at 09:36 PM EDT
President Donald Trump called for U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar to immediately resign from Congress on Thursday after a federal court filing allegedly identified the Minnesota Democrat as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.”
Speaking at a rally in Iowa, Trump seized on the allegation while discussing Omar and longstanding allegations surrounding her former marriage.
“It was just revealed just a little while ago that ... her name is not Ilhan Omar, the one that she used to get elected and sworn into Congress,” Trump said. “She used a fake name to be sworn in. I assume she must immediately have to resign from Congress."
He later declared: “The Republicans have just picked up a seat in the House.”
A federal court filing submitted Wednesday by the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, obtained by Fox News, refers to the congresswoman as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” The filing concerns efforts to keep materials sealed in relation to the federal search warrant for Omar's Washington, D.C.-area home.
Newsweek reached out to Omar's office by email for comment.
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Trump's claim that Omar used a fraudulent name to take her congressional oath has not been established. The president said Elmi is the surname of Omar's former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, who critics have alleged for years to be her brother. Omar has repeatedly denied the allegation.
"She’s been a scammer for a long time. I’m pretty good at watching that stuff, and she comes from a non-country, basically. Somalia has no government, has no nothing. ... All they do is run around shooting each other. Then she comes over here. The Constitution gives me absolute right to freedom of speech," Trump told the crowd in Iowa.
Omar's office has strongly disputed the reporting.
“This is completely false. Ilhan Omar is her real name,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Separately, Omar herself addressed the underlying marriage allegation in her MS NOW interview with Chris Hayes on Wednesday. She described the claim as “insane” and, when asked whether she was related to her former husband Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, answered, “Not to my knowledge.”
The spokesperson also called the allegation a “desperate smear” intended to distract from Trump and Republican governance, and said it was “disgraceful that the media continues to give this lie oxygen.”
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins