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Ilhan Omar's Dem primary challenger Don Samuels called out after he says she 'isn't cute enough' to get away with lack of town halls

On a podcast, Don Samuels reportedly made sexist remarks regarding Rep Ilhan Omar's appearance to criticize her for not holding town halls

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels is facing criticism for apparently making an offensive comment about Representative Ilhan Omar's appearance during his appearance on the local political podcast 'The Break Down with Brodkorb and Becky'.

Samuels, who is running against Omar in the Democratic primary for her US House seat, reportedly said, "Who do you think you are? And who do you think you're working for? You're not cute enough, you don't dress well enough, nothing about you is attractive enough to overcome that deficit."

Ilhan Omar’s response to the sexist remark by fellow Democrat Don Samuels

In a statement, Ilhan Omar, a member of the "squad" of progressive House Democrats running for re-election to a third term in 2024, slammed the sexist statements made by Don Samuels in the podcast, which aired on November 21.

Omar said, "This is beneath the dignity of any adult, let alone someone seeking public office. It is reminiscent of the worst kinds of lies and misogyny that we are hearing from people like Donald Trump, who think they can say anything about women and get away with it."

She added, "Like Trump, instead of engaging in an adult debate, Don Samuels relies on lies and sexism. We need civility now more than ever and Don's behavior should be alarming to anyone who agrees."

Samuels responded to her statement on X (formerly Twitter), stressing that he was not referring to Omar specifically but rather to any politician who disregards voter concerns.

He wrote, "This is an attempt to mischaracterize a response about politicians who talk the talk versus walk the walk. In listening to my full answer, it's abundantly clear that I'm talking broadly about politicians who value their own celebrity over the needs of their constituents."

To put his statement in context, the 74-year-old Minneapolis City Council Member’s response was to a question about Congresswoman Omar's lack of town halls, and he had gone on for several minutes before making the "cute" remark.

Two Democrats duking it out in Minnesota ahead of 2024 US general elections

Don Samuels is positioning himself as a less divisive alternative to his opponent, Ilhan Omar, who has garnered national attention by taking a strident stance on various progressive issues.

In the 2022 primary, Samuels came close to defeating Omar, losing by a slim margin of 50.3 percent to 48.2 percent, leading him to believe that he could easily beat the latter, as per Daily Mail. 

During the 2022 primary, the 'Defund the Police' movement was a contentious issue following the murder of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer in the city in 2020.

Omar was a vocal supporter of the movement, criticizing former President Barack Obama for referring to it as a "snappy slogan."

On the other hand, Samuels has opposed the defund movement and played a leading role in defeating a proposal to replace the police force with a revamped public safety agency.

In the current election cycle, Samuels is challenging Omar on her stance regarding the Israel-Hamas war and accusing her of having a "predilection to divisiveness and conflict."

The latter has publicly criticized Hamas for its attack on Israel and taking hostages.

However, her call for an immediate ceasefire after the Hamas attack and her harsh criticism of the Israeli response have caused frustration among supporters of Israel.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has been actively seeking a credible challenger to Omar.

Samuels, a moderate Democrat, believes that the ongoing war will be a significant concern for voters and accused her of having frightened the Jewish community.

He said that the community "understands that there is a latent and lurking anti-Semitic sentiment that always needs discouragement, and always in times of national crisis raises its ugly head."

In response, Omar has attempted to link Samuels to hardline Republicans and Donald Trump, who is not popular in her deep-blue constituency.

She alleges that "right-wing donors" have targeted her and accused Samuels of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from far-right donors and political action committees.

Omar was quoted saying, "If we're going to stop Donald Trump, we need record turnout, and I am confident in our ability to drive turnout, particularly in a presidential election year."

Internet reacts to Don Samuels' comments about Ilhan Omar

Soon after Don Samuels' comments regarding Ilhan Omar surfaced, netizens were quick to call him out. 

One wrote, "She's a lot cuter that he is, so what's he doing?"

Another added, "TF does that have to do with working in government," while someone else noted, "It’s not cute to Don when gorgeous women have brains and voices."

One person on Facebook said, "how serious is he about winning, because this certainly tf isn’t the way," with another one commenting, "Oh, look at that. A man feeling threatened by a powerful woman." 

"What a stupid comment that would make me look for others," wrote one more. 

Someone quipped: "Well, he sure showed he is not intelligent enough," while one user expressed, "Proving he is not intelligent enough and too sexist to run."