Representative Ilhan Omar at a campaign event in Nashua, N.H., December 13, 2019 (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar offered rare praise for President Trump Wednesday evening, calling his response to the coronavirus pandemic “incredible.”

“Politics aside, this is incredible and the right response in this critical time,” Omar wrote in a tweet Wednesday.

The Minnesota progressive was responding to another tweet outlining some of Trump’s actions to soften the economic blow of the coronavirus, including suspending mortgage foreclosures, proposing direct payments to American households, and invoking the Defense Production Act to force the private sector to manufacture medical supplies that are in short supply.

Politics aside, this is incredible and the right response in this critical time. 👏🏽 https://t.co/MUzGkAxNaO — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 19, 2020

“There’s never been an instance like this where no matter what you have it’s not enough,” Trump said at a White House press briefing regarding invoking the Defense Production Act. “If we need to use it, we’ll be using it at full speed ahead.”



Trump has signed two coronavirus aid packages so far, including a $104 billion plan on Wednesday. Congress is still working on “phase three” of its coronavirus-response efforts, a massive plan that could cost as much as $850 billion to $1 trillion. The package will reportedly allocate up to $500 billion in direct payments to Americans to offset the economic damage from the global spread of the virus. The proposed direct payments to Americans would be made in two rounds and would total $250 billion each, the first on April 6 and the second on May 18.

“Ayanna Pressley always says, unprecedented times require unprecedented leadership and we are seeing that in our country right now. I have faith that we will survive this as a nation and build together,” Omar added, referring to her fellow congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Omar added an exhortation for unity, saying, “we should never let politics get in the way of good policy.”


“This is a great start and hope others will be part of a united front to push for good policies that will help us work through the economic anxiety the country is feeling right now,” Omar said in a final tweet.

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