ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Somali-American Rep. Ilhan Omar should be thrown out of the country and should not be allowed to serve in Congress.

"These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. They have a representative, Ilhan Omar...she shouldn't be allowed to be a congresswoman...and she should be thrown the hell out of our country," he told reporters.

He added that Omar is always "talking about the Constitution" and suggested that the congresswoman "go back" to her own country and figure out that constitution.

"They shouldn't even be allowed to be congresspeople because they don't represent the interests of our country," he said.

Trump also attacked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

"You have an incompetent governor. You have a crooked governor. He's crooked as hell, but he's (also) incompetent," he said.

The comments came after Trump said at a Cabinet meeting that Somalians "ripped off" Minnesota for billions of dollars every year and "contribute nothing," referring to the state's large Somali-American population.

"I don't want them in our country," he said.

Omar responded Wednesday that Trump's "obsession" with her and the Somali community is "creepy and unhealthy," saying: "I am not someone to be intimidated."

US Muslim group the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) strongly condemned the "dangerous and openly racist rhetoric" against Omar and the broader Somali-American community.

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre dismissed Trump's comments, according to local media.