Another day, another sexist podcast comment–allegedly.
Rep. Ilhan Omar is accusing her Minnesota 5th District opponent, Don Samuels, of sexism after he proposed she isn’t “cute enough” to hold office, CBS News reports. The former Minneapolis City Council member sat in as a guest on Nov. 21 on “The Break Down with Brodkord and Becky” to discuss his campaign.
During a segment discussing accountability in government, Samuels took seemingly unprovoked jabs at Omar’s appearance.
“And so to see government not be responsive like that to the people who pay them, it is offensive to me,” Samuels said.
He continued, “And to not be responsive and available to those people? To meet with them and find out what their concerns are and to answer their tough questions? To not get back to people on the phone? 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.”
Omar caught wind of his comments and compared them to former President Donald Trump, describing them as the “worst kinds of lies and misogyny.”
tom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad2">“This is beneath the dignity of any adult, let alone someone seeking public office,” Omar said. “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. Like Trump, instead of engaging in an adult debate, Don relies on lies and sexism. We need civility now more than ever and Don’s behavior should be alarming to anyone who agrees.”
Samuels lost his first campaign to Omar by nearly 2,500 votes and announced in early November 2023 that he was ready to run again. Samuels told the podcast hosts he was prepared to debate Omar and would let her pick the time and place under one condition — the debate is open to everyone, “town hall”-style.
After seeing Omar’s response, Samuel alleges his comments were taken out of context, and voters shouldn’t be surprised by her remarks.
“This is an attempt to mischaracterize a response about politicians who talk the talk versus walk the walk,” he said, according to KARE 11. “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.”
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