US President Donald Trump targeted Somali and Haitian immigrants during a campaign rally in Ohio on Monday as he sought to boost Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections.
The rally in Youngstown was primarily aimed at supporting Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who is seeking reelection in a competitive race against Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown. Trump also acknowledged Republican Rep. Max Miller, who has faced allegations of domestic abuse.
“Thank you, Max, for coming,” Trump said, thanking Miller for attending the event.
Immigration featured prominently in Trump's speech. He renewed his criticism of Minnesota's Somali immigrant community and linked his remarks to Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio.
During a presidential debate in 2024, Trump repeated a false allegation that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating pets. The claim was based on an unverified social media post, and the person who initially shared it later deleted the post and apologised, saying she had no evidence to support it.
Revisiting the controversy on Monday, Trump insisted, “I was right,” while celebrating what he described as a reduction in the Haitian population in Springfield under his administration's immigration policies.
“If you want to stop Ohio from being plundered, ransacked and destroyed like Minnesota is being destroyed, we're going to stop it,” Trump said. “Just like we did with Springfield, we're going to stop it, we're not going to let it happen.”
He also made disparaging remarks about Somali immigrants, claiming they had “low IQ” and “don't have pants to wear.”
Trump's remarks came on the same day that Department of Homeland Security agents searched the Washington home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born American who represents a Minnesota district.
The president's visit to Youngstown came less than a week after he held another rally in Dayton. His campaign appearances in Ohio reflect Republican efforts to retain the state's Senate seat and strengthen the party's position ahead of the midterm elections.
Trump also sought to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who is contesting the governorship against Democrat Amy Acton.
During Monday's rally, Trump announced plans for a submarine-component manufacturing centre in nearby Cleveland, adding an economic development announcement to his campaign message.
The president has pursued tighter immigration restrictions since returning to office. His administration has also ended a programme that had allowed more than 350,000 Haitians to remain legally in the United States.
Among those affected are Haitians who moved to Springfield in recent years. The city, with a population of about 60,000, had received an estimated 15,000 Haitian residents.
“They're getting their town back,” Trump said, referring to Springfield's longtime residents.
Trump has a long history of making controversial remarks about immigrants. In 2018, he was reported to have disparaged immigrants from Haiti and other countries while questioning why the United States could not attract more migrants from countries such as Norway. He initially denied making the remarks but later acknowledged using the phrase.
The Ohio rally also highlighted the role of Trump's presidential platform in supporting political allies. Husted, who was appointed to the Senate after JD Vance became vice president, faces a challenge from Brown, who lost his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024.
Meanwhile, a Republican-linked political organisation has begun circulating campaign mailers promoting independent Senate candidate Greg Levy over Brown.
The materials, sponsored by the Enough Promises Ohio PAC, use slogans including “Join the Revolution” and “Send a Worker to the Senate.” Levy describes himself as a socialist running for the US Senate in 2026.
Levy condemned the mailers, accusing their sponsors of falsely presenting the materials as coming from his campaign and attempting to mislead voters. He said he was considering legal action.
“This is a highly undemocratic practice and does a disservice to voters in Ohio and throughout the country,” Levy wrote on X.
Federal Election Commission filings show that Enough Promises Ohio was established on September 29. The organisation has not yet been required to disclose its contributors, while other federal records point to connections with Republican political operatives.
The PAC paid a company called Seven Farms more than $397,000 last week for printing, postage and mailing services related to the campaign materials.
Seven Farms lists the same South Carolina business suite as Whistlestop Strategies LLC, a direct-mail operation run by Big Dog Strategies LLC. The political consulting firm has advised Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC and managed Moreno's successful 2024 campaign against Brown.
Neither Enough Promises Ohio nor Big Dog Strategies responded to requests for comment.