President Donald Trump said he intends to get to the bottom of alleged fraud involving Minnesota’s Somali community, making the remarks during a New Year’s Eve event Wednesday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.
Speaking to attendees, Trump cited significant financial losses tied to the alleged misconduct. “Can you imagine they stole $18 billion. That’s just what we’re learning about. That’s peanuts,” he said, adding that other states including California, Illinois, and New York faced similar or worse problems. “We’re going to get to the bottom of all those. It was a giant scam.”
The president’s comments followed reporting by citizen journalist Nick Shirley, who has posted videos online alleging widespread fraud at locations such as daycare centers in Minnesota. In a caption accompanying one widely circulated video, Shirley claimed his team uncovered more than $110 million in suspected fraud in a single day and called for accountability for those involved.
🚨 Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet. We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day. Like it and share it around like wildfire! Its time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable
— Nick shirley (@nickshirleyy) December 26, 2025
We ALL… pic.twitter.com/E3Penx2o7a
Following these reports, Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services has frozen federal payments to child care businesses in Minnesota while investigations continue, according to Breitbart News. The outlet reported that the freeze is intended to prompt further scrutiny of federally funded programs and encourage states to examine potential fraud within their systems.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) has criticized the administration’s actions, accusing Trump of politicizing the issue. Walz said the state has already spent years addressing fraud and pushing back against criminal activity within public programs, though whistleblowers claim they were silenced for years when trying to raise alarms about it.
Trump was unmoved by his explanation, calling him a “crooked governor” as investigations continued.
Separately, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration is reviewing cases involving individuals from Somalia who were convicted of fraud in Minnesota, including whether some cases could meet the legal standard for denaturalization, according to Breitbart News.
The situation has intensified political tensions between the White House and Minnesota’s Democratic leadership, as federal and state officials dispute both the scope of the alleged fraud and the administration’s response.
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Tampon Tim is a pathological liar…the fraud started with him and Ilan Omar, and compromised many others, including many MINN banks who supplied ermomous amounts of cash.
Banks rarely have billions in cash just sitting around…think about that!