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Year: 2025

Social media erupts after far-left mayor gives victory speech in foreign language: ‘Humiliating’

Social media erupts after far-left mayor gives victory speech in foreign language: ‘Humiliating’

Newly re-elected Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey is facing backlash from conservatives for giving a victory speech in Somali and saying that Minneapolis welcomes Somalians. In a video of the speech posted online, Frey can be seen leading chants in Somali as the crowd responds and applauds. Popular conservative influencer Paul Szypula ripped into the progressive mayor, writing, “The pandering here is insane.” “Mayor Jacob Frey, as he won reelection, spoke almost a minute in Somalia then said Minneapolis belongs to Somalia,” said Szypula. MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR’S RACE ADVANCES TO RANKED CHOICE VOTING AFTER NO CANDIDATE REACHES 50% In a second round of nonpartisan ranked-choice voting, Frey narrowly defeated a challenge from socialist Minneapolis state Sen. Omar Fateh. Fateh is the first Somali American and first Muslim to serve in the state senate. Fateh had the backing of the Twin Cities’ chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who represents Minneapolis in the U.S. House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate last year and is up for re-election next year, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., endorsed Frey’s campaign this year. While speaking with a crowd of Somali residents after his victory, Frey repeatedly thanked the crowd in Somali. ILHAN OMAR ERUPTS AT OWN PARTY FOR RENEGING ON SOCIALIST CANDIDATE’S ENDORSEMENT: ‘INEXCUSABLE’ “To the great people of Minneapolis, and I say that very intentionally, because no matter where you are from, Minneapolis should be a place where you are proud to call home,” he said. He then proceeded to list off a number of Somalian regions, saying, “Whether you are from Bosaso or Mogadishu, whether you are from Hargeisa or Garowe, whether you are from Beledweyne or southwest, Minneapolis is a place where you come to seek prosperity, where you come to raise your family.” “Here is what this election means, this election means this is a moment for unity, where the entire Somali community can come together and say, ‘This is our people, this is our city, we are united behind each other,” he said. Conservative pundit Gerry Callahan slammed Frey’s speech, saying, “This is an American politician, raised in America, educated in America, ostensibly representing Americans, prostrating himself in front of bunch of foreigners. Could be the most humiliating thing I’ve ever seen.”  Podcaster Matt Walsh also chimed in, writing, “As I have said many times now, politicians in this country should be required by law to speak English when addressing the public in an official capacity. There should never be a time when Americans can’t understand what their elected leaders are saying.” MINNEAPOLIS BECOMES FIRST MAJOR US CITY TO ALLOW MUSLIM CALLS TO PRAYER AT ALL HOURS Nick Sortor wrote, “I don’t know how large ICE’s presence in Minneapolis is, but it needs to be much, MUCH larger.”  Fox News Digital reached out to Frey’s team for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. This is not the first time Frey has garnered criticism over Somali-language political messaging. He was also widely criticized in September for releasing a campaign ad in Somali.  Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, commented on the ad, saying, “This must be stopped.”  Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., also reacted to the ad, posting a disapproving gif.  Kari Lake simply wrote, “WTAF?” which is an acronym for “what the actual f—.” Having entered office in 2018, Frey was elected to his third term as Minneapolis mayor on Tuesday. He is best known for marching with protesters during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, which were particularly destructive in Minneapolis, the city in which George Floyd died. Frey was also seen kneeling and weeping by Floyd’s casket at a memorial service.

Dem House hopeful vows to help working class despite record of hiking taxes

Dem House hopeful vows to help working class despite record of hiking taxes

FIRST ON FOX: A Tennessee Democratic state representative running for Congress, who has been likened to Zohran Mamdani, claims she is running to make life better for the working class, but her voting record tells a different story.  Tennessee state Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-District 51, who is running to replace outgoing Congressman from Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Mark Green, voted no last year on a bill that would have resulted in a $400 million tax cut for certain Tennessee small businesses, including potential refunds of up to $1.5 billion. Behn also rallied against Republican’s H.R. 1, the so-called “one, big beautiful bill,” which extended Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts that, without, could’ve meant a nearly $4,000 increase for taxpayers in her district.  Meanwhile, earlier this year, Behn voted against a statewide budget bill that would have added tens-of-millions to the state’s rainy day fund, which would have effectively padded the state’s coffers so that in times of low-revenue taxes won’t need to be increased so much. That same budget bill would have also allocated millions for volunteer fire departments, senior centers, emergency medical services, teacher bonuses and other public safety funding. TRUMP LOOMS LARGE OVER SPECIAL ELECTION PRIMARY IN DEEP-RED CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT “A pissed-off social worker, Aftyn has seen firsthand how broken systems fail the very people they’re meant to protect,” Behn’s campaign website reads. “She’s now running for Congress after the so-called ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ passed — a giveaway to the wealthy that codified the largest transfer of wealth from working people to the rich in American history.” However, according to estimates from the Tax Foundation, if Trump’s 2017 tax cuts had expired, residents in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, whom Behn wants to represent, would have seen an increase in their taxes of approximately $3,717 per taxpayer. “To win, Democrats need to focus on what really matters: making life more affordable for working people,” Behn said after the bill’s passage. “Washington Republicans did the opposite by passing this #BigBullsh–Bill. Gutting healthcare and giving handouts to billionaires.” TENNESSEE SUED OVER LIMITED ACCESS TO EXECUTIONS AS MEDIA DEMAND TRANSPARENCY  Even the New York Times has admitted that independent analyses showed Trump’s 2017 tax cuts “have consistently found that a large majority of Americans would owe less because of the law.” Last year, Behn also voted against a bill that the Tennessee General Assembly Fiscal Review Committee estimated would provide over $1.5 billion in tax refunds for small business owners in the state. It also would have reduced a combined yearly tax burden for Tennessee business owners of about $400 million.  Simultaneously, Behn voted against Tennessee’s 2025-2026 fiscal year budget that included a big increase to the state’s rainy day fund, which is used by state governments during periods of low revenue. The same budget bill also included community funding for services like volunteer fire departments, emergency medical services and rescue squads, senior centers, teacher bonuses, school security and more.  During Behn’s time in the state legislature, she also worked to repeal the grocery tax in Tennessee, claiming it would put money back into the pockets of hard-working Tennesseans year-around. However, according to Republicans, the move would create a business enterprise tax, raising taxes on small businesses by about $800 million. Fox News Digital reached out repeatedly to Behn’s campaign for comment but did not hear back.  “Aftyn Behn’s policies would skyrocket the cost of living even more for hardworking Tennesseans,” Behn’s Republican opponent, Trump-backed Matt Van Epps, said. “Aftyn has repeatedly voted against tax cuts and proposed new taxes, taking more money from your pocket. I’ll always fight to lower taxes and bring down costs so that working families can get ahead.”   In local media reports, Behn has been compared to New York City mayor-elect and self-proclaimed socialist Zohran Mamdani and the Dickson County Democratic Party described Behn as “our very own AOC of TN,” in a reference to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. “His message is one of helping working families across New York, my message is one of helping working families across Tennessee,” Behn said about Mamdani during the appearance on CNN. “We need to go back to pocketbook issues, especially in states like Tennessee where people are living unaffordable lives and suffering as a result of Republican policies.”