President Donald Trump erupted in anger in the Oval Office on Thursday when asked about rising Democratic congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. The 79-year-old president was fielding questions from reporters while signing orders when a journalist brought up the Texas lawmaker. Trump interrupted before the question was even finished.
“Jasmine Crockett?” Trump asked. “Remember what I say: Is she a relation to the late, great Davy Crockett? I don’t think so.” Crockett, a first-term representative from Texas, has gained national attention for fiery speeches and confrontations with MAGA-aligned Republicans.
Trump’s attack quickly escalated into one of the harsh personal rants that have become his signature. “Let me tell you before you even ask: She’s a very low-IQ person,” Trump said. “I mean, if we ever have to pass an aptitude test, that’s the one who should take one because she shouldn’t even be…”
The president failed to finish the sentence, stumbling over his words before continuing. “So I have no idea what you’re gonna—but I don’t even think we should waste our time. This is a low-IQ person who I can’t even believe is a congressperson,” he said, shaking his head.
It was the second time that day that Trump mentioned Crockett. Earlier, unprompted, he again criticized her intelligence while denouncing the “radical left.” Trump also shifted to another frequent target, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, mispronouncing her name as he spoke. “Between her and Ill-man Omar and the group,” Trump began. “You know, I met the head of Somalia. Did you know that? And I suggested that maybe he’d like to take her back. He said ‘I don’t want her.’”
Top administration officials standing beside him laughed at the remarks. Omar, who immigrated to the United States as a child after being born in Somalia, has often been singled out by Trump. Just last week, after Republicans failed in an effort to censure her, Trump attacked her Somali roots in a Truth Social post.
The president eventually returned to the reporter’s question, which referenced Crockett’s recent comparison of ICE to “slave patrols.” In a Sunday MSNBC interview, Crockett said, “As somebody who understands history, when I see ICE, I see slave patrols.” She added, “If you know the history of policing in this country, then you understand that they were born out of slave patrols.”
Trump said Thursday that Crockett had “gone over the line” and accused Democrats of being “radical left lunatics” before pivoting to another rant about New York politics. Crockett, who has openly criticized the president, responded earlier this week on X with a jab of her own: “Can we Make Presidents Smart Again?!”