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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally held at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, Iowa, on January 27, 2026
President Donald Trump responded the same way after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He did so following the 2022 assault on the husband of then‑House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and again after the murder last month of filmmaker and Democratic activist Rob Reiner. On Tuesday, he repeated that pattern after another violent incident involving a Democrat, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
In the face of violent acts against his political opponents, Trump has often offered conspiracy‑laden responses that baselessly imply the victims are responsible. When an ABC News reporter asked him Tuesday night whether he had seen the video showing a man spraying Omar with a substance at her town hall event, Trump replied, “No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
By Tuesday night, similar false‑flag conspiracy claims were already circulating in pro‑Trump corners of social media, despite no credible evidence supporting them.
The suspect, Anthony Kazmierczak, had a history of posting anti‑Omar material and photos of Trump on social media. Before the incident, he texted a neighbor suggesting he might be arrested at Omar’s town hall, then approached the podium and sprayed a substance that police believe was apple cider vinegar. Minneapolis police arrested Kazmierczak on suspicion of third‑degree assault, and a federal law enforcement official told CNN’s Holmes Lybrand on Wednesday that U.S. Capitol Police are exploring possible federal charges.