Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is facing widespread backlash after delivering part of his recent reelection victory speech in Somali, a move critics called pandering and “humiliating.”
Footage from the event shows Frey addressing a jubilant crowd, thanking voters and declaring Minneapolis “a place where you are proud to call home, no matter where you are from.” While he did not translate the Somali remarks during the speech, he appeared to be extending gratitude to the city’s large Somali-American community.
However, many on social media were not impressed. “How embarrassing. This is America,” one user wrote. Another added, “This dude faked cried at Floyd’s funeral, got booed out of his own town, threw his cops under the bus, & is now speaking Somali.” Others called the speech “pathetic” and “sad,” especially after Frey was seen sporting a shirt that read “I Love Somalia” during the event.
Conservative commentator Gerry Callahan joined the chorus of critics, blasting the moment as “humiliating.” “This is an American politician, raised in America, educated in America, ostensibly representing Americans, prostrating himself in front of a bunch of foreigners. Could be the most humiliating thing I’ve ever seen,” Callahan said.
Despite the backlash, Frey won reelection to a third term amid deep infighting within Minnesota’s Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. His campaign was backed by Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Frey’s victory comes on the heels of a messy endorsement battle involving State Sen. Omar Fateh, a Somali American democrat whose DFL endorsement was revoked after convention chaos earlier this year.
Frey has not publicly addressed the criticism over his Somali-language remarks.
