Minneapolis Mayor’s Victory Speech Takes Surprising Turn
Fresh off a reelection victory, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) finds himself under fire—not for policy, not for scandal, but for language. In a speech that was meant to unify, Frey addressed a crowd in Somali, thanking what he described as “the great people of Minneapolis.”
The moment, which might have been a calculated gesture of inclusion in one of America’s largest Somali communities, has instead become a flashpoint in a deeply divided national conversation about identity, assimilation, and political optics.
Frey’s remarks were made during what should have been a celebratory moment—his third successful mayoral campaign. “No matter where you are from, Minneapolis should be a place where you are proud to call home,” he said, clearly aiming for a message of diversity and belonging. But that line, delivered in Somali, wasn’t heard as inspirational by everyone.
Video clips from the event showed Frey ramping up the crowd while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “I Love Somalia,” a symbolic nod that many interpreted as pandering. Conservative commentators and social media users reacted swiftly and with little nuance.
“How embarrassing. This is America,” one commenter wrote. Others invoked past controversies, accusing Frey of performative politics—from his much-criticized appearance at George Floyd’s funeral to his strained relationship with law enforcement during the city’s unrest.
Islamized America 🚨 Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Goes Full Mogadishu
Here, the Democrat is Mayor Jacob Frey, on stage speaking Somali, laughing like a fool at America as he celebrates the 65th Anniversary of Somalia’s independence…
Not America’s independence. Not Minnesota’s… pic.twitter.com/ErBqoQyLTN
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) July 3, 2025
The reaction online wasn’t limited to individuals; media voices joined the pile-on. Conservative host Gerry Callahan called Frey’s speech “humiliating,” painting the mayor’s embrace of Somali constituents as an act of submission rather than solidarity.
Yet Frey’s reelection came despite—or perhaps because of—the turbulence within the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party this year. The internal chaos over endorsements, particularly the revoked support for State Senator Omar Fateh following reported voting irregularities, exposed cracks within the party’s structure.
Fateh, the first Somali American in the Minnesota Senate and a self-identified democratic socialist, maintained his campaign with support from progressive icons like Ilhan Omar and Jamaal Bowman.
Despite these fissures, Frey retained key endorsements from high-ranking Democrats like Governor Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar. That establishment support likely played a role in solidifying his third term. But the optics of his celebration—a white, American-born mayor speaking Somali while donning pro-Somalia messaging—proved polarizing.