US President Donald Trump has reignited diplomatic friction with the Horn of Africa, branding Somalia a “shithole” while launching a fresh, xenophobic tirade against Representative Ilhan Omar during a chaotic rally in Pennsylvania.

While billed as a policy speech on the cost of living, the address quickly pivoted from economic grievances to nativist rhetoric. For Kenyans and the broader East African community, the President’s resurrection of the “shithole” slur—a term he infamously deployed during his first term—signals a deepening hostility in Washington that reverberates directly in a region hosting thousands of Somali refugees and maintaining delicate security ties with the US.

Economic Fiction vs. Reality

President Trump opened his remarks by asserting that “prices are way down,” a claim that stands in stark contrast to official US economic data. For Kenyan observers tracking the dollar’s strength, the reality of the American economy is far less rosy than the President suggests.

According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prices have not fallen; they have risen. Data indicates that average prices in the US were 1.7% higher in September compared to January. Specifically:

• General Inflation: Prices were 3% higher in September this year compared to September 2024.
• Fuel Costs: A 4.1% surge in gasoline prices drove much of the recent increase.
• Holiday Staples: While Trump claimed Thanksgiving turkey prices fell by 33%, the Los Angeles Times reports that a basket of holiday staples actually costs 4.1% more than last year.

These figures matter in Nairobi because a volatile US economy often leads to a stronger dollar, which can pile pressure on the Kenya Shilling (currently trading against the dollar), making our own imports of fuel and wheat more expensive.

The Horn of Africa in the Crosshairs

The rally took a darker turn when Trump targeted Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American who fled civil war as a child and became a US citizen in 2000. In a baseless attack that prompted his supporters to chant “Send her back,” Trump falsely alleged that Omar is in the US “illegally.”

“I love this Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is... She does nothing but bitch,” Trump told the crowd, before repeating a thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory that Omar “married her brother” to gain entry to the US. There is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, which Omar has previously dismissed as “absolutely false and ridiculous.”

Broadening his attack to the region, Trump described Somalia as “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime,” explicitly reviving the derogatory “shithole” label. This rhetoric ignores the complex reality of Somalia’s recovery and the significant contributions of the Somali diaspora—both in the US and here in Kenya—who facilitate millions of dollars in remittances that sustain families across the Horn.

While the White House has yet to clarify if these remarks signal a shift in foreign policy, the message received in East Africa is one of renewed contempt.