Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, faced significant criticism on social media this week due to a video where she mistakenly referred to World War II as “World War Eleven.” This slip occurred during a congressional discussion on January 22, 2025, regarding the repeal of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Context of the Statement
In her speech, Omar was surrounded by fellow congressional Democrats as she addressed the use of the Alien Enemies Act, which had been invoked by former President Trump for the deportation of certain Venezuelan immigrants. She stated, “The last time the Alien Enemies Act was invoked, it was used to detain and deport German, Japanese, Italian immigrants during World War Eleven.” Following her gaffe, she quickly corrected herself, stating, “Oh … two … sorry,” while laughing.
Public Reaction
The video resurfaced and quickly went viral, prompting a wave of mockery and insults directed at Omar. Critics took to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to express disbelief and ridicule her statement. Posts included remarks about her perceived intelligence, with a common sentiment being that her mistake demonstrated a lack of historical knowledge.
- One user exclaimed, “I can’t believe this dummy is in Congress.”
- Another comment mentioned her learning history at a controversial Minnesota daycare center.
- Conservative columnist Ed Morrissey shared his thoughts by questioning if the blunder was real or the result of artificial intelligence.
Some even parodied the incident, creating satirical images that blamed Trump for supposedly starting “World War Eleven.” Others criticized the current generation of politicians, suggesting it was one of the “stupidest” they had witnessed.
Previous Criticism of Omar
This verbal misstep compounds previous derogatory remarks made by Trump, who tweeted earlier about Omar, calling her “Low IQ Ilhan Omar.” The ongoing discourse surrounding her intelligence seems to be a recurring theme among her critics.
As reactions mounted, Omar’s office had not yet provided a comment on the incident, leaving many to speculate about her future responses to the backlash.
