Ana Navarro has criticised Donald Trump’s comments about Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, bringing the president’s two former immigrant wives into the debate during a heated discussion on The View.
The co-host questioned Trump’s remarks about Omar’s country of origin by pointing to the backgrounds of Ivana Trump and Melania Trump, prompting loud reactions from the programme’s predominantly liberal audience.
Navarro Questions Trump’s Criticism of Omar’s Immigration Background
The exchange began after Trump described Somalia as a country without laws, police or a military, questioning Omar’s right to speak about constitutional protections in the United States.
Responding to the president’s comments, The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg remarked: “Well, somebody’s gotta’ tell us what’s in the Constitution because you sure don’t seem to know.”
Navarro, a Republican who has consistently opposed Trump and has been a regular presence on the programme since 2022, then drew a comparison between Omar’s immigration history and the backgrounds of two women who were married to the president.
“Talking about people coming from countries without Constitutions, didn’t at least two of his wives come from the former Soviet Union?” Navarro asked.
The comment prompted enthusiastic applause from the studio audience, with the reference involving Ivana and Melania Trump becoming a central moment in the discussion.
Co-Host Says Trump Is Appealing to His Republican Base
Navarro also questioned the political motivation behind the investigation involving Omar, arguing that the congresswoman’s electoral victories suggested that the president’s criticism would not necessarily change her standing in her district.
She said Trump had spent years focusing on Omar and believed his repeated attacks were intended to appeal to Republican supporters who strongly dislike the congresswoman.
“The people who do like this stunt is the Republican base,” Navarro said, adding that Trump was embarking on what she described as a desperate tour of Republican-leaning states because even some of his supporters were angry with him.
“He’s been obsessed with Ilhan Omar for years now and the Republican base hates her,” she continued.
Navarro also used a reference to rising food prices to characterise the president’s approach, saying: “I think what he’s doing is literally throwing red meat at the base because red meat is too expensive to buy!”
Trump’s Remarks Follow Homeland Security Raid on Omar’s Home
Trump’s comments came after federal Homeland Security agents searched Omar’s home in the Washington, DC, area on Monday as part of a criminal investigation.
The search took place approximately three weeks before the midterm elections.
Omar described the operation as an attempt to target political opponents and intimidate her during her re-election campaign.
Speaking to reporters at the White House before travelling to Ohio for a campaign rally, Trump said he had no involvement in the investigation, while reiterating his negative assessment of the congresswoman.
“I’ve always found her to be totally crooked personally, but that has nothing to do with me,” he said.
“I have nothing to do with it,” Trump added, while acknowledging that investigators were examining Omar closely.
At the Ohio rally, Trump criticised Somalia and questioned Omar’s comments about constitutional rights, describing her country of origin as one of the worst in the world.
Omar, who arrived in the United States with her family at the age of 12 after they were granted asylum, has been a frequent target of the president’s criticism.
Omar Became a US Citizen in 2000
Trump has previously questioned Omar’s immigration status, including in remarks made at an event in December 2025, when he claimed she was in the country illegally and called for her removal.
However, Omar became a US citizen in 2000, when she was 17.
The president has also repeatedly raised questions about the congresswoman’s finances, citing an earlier financial disclosure that suggested she and her family had a net worth of at least $30 million.
The disclosure prompted Republican lawmakers, including members of the House Oversight Committee, to call for an investigation into the apparent increase in wealth and to raise allegations of possible misconduct.
Omar and her office attributed the figures to an error by her accountant.
Last month, the Office of Congressional Conduct dismissed the misconduct allegations relating to the reporting error, according to CNBC.
Ivana and Melania Trump Have Different European Backgrounds
Navarro’s remarks referenced Ivana Trump, Donald Trump’s first wife, and Melania Trump, his third wife, both of whom were born outside the United States.
Ivana was born in what is now the Czech Republic.
She emigrated to Canada in the 1970s before moving to the United States and marrying Trump in 1977.
Melania Trump was born in Slovenia and moved to New York in 1996 to pursue a modelling career.
She met Trump two years later and married him in 2005.
Their European origins formed the basis of Navarro’s comparison during the programme’s discussion of Trump’s criticism of Omar’s background and his comments about Somalia.
Omar Accuses Trump of Political Intimidation
Omar responded to the search of her home by accusing Trump of using law enforcement agencies against political opponents.
In a statement posted on social media, the congresswoman said the operation was part of a longer-running campaign against her.
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns,” Omar wrote.
“This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.”
