Ilhan Omar Reveals The Conservative Politician She Finds ‘Inspiring’

During an interview with the British show “Peston,” Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar opened up about her favorite politician whom she found “inspiring”.

In the interview, Omar spoke about her favorite political role model, former conservative U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, while discussing her 2020 memoir, “This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman.” Omar said the fact that Thatcher did not depend on a man for her success in politics, inspired her career in politics.

US Congresswoman @IlhanMN tells @AnushkaAsthana why Margaret Thatcher is one of her political role models. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧

Tune into the @itvpeston live stream now for exclusive ad break content.
#Peston pic.twitter.com/O5Wl2eRizZ

— Peston (@itvpeston) October 13, 2021

”She [Thatcher] was the only one that I knew of that came to politics on her own, not because there was a man nudging her forward,” Omar said. “And it was inspiring, really, to believe that I didn’t need my father or my brothers or my husband to be involved in politics.”

Omar also praised Thatcher in her 2020 book and called the Iron Lady “my greatest hero” and a “self-start”, according to the Washington Examiner.

“Whenever I am asked which famous person dead or alive I would want to meet if I could, my answer is always without fail Margaret Thatcher,” she reportedly wrote. “While her politics aren’t mine, she was also a first — the first female prime minister of Britain. Thatcher was a self-starter in the grandest of ways.”

Omar, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, has advocated for far-left policies such as environmental justice, Medicare for all, and ending mass incarceration, according to her website. These policies differ starkly from those of Thatcher. (RELATED: ‘The Squad’ Pushes to “Defund The Police’ While Spending Thousands On Private Security To Protect Themselves)

We all too often have socialism for the rich and rugged free market capitalism for the poor. ~MLK Jr.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 20, 2020

Thatcher took a strong stance against socialism and advocated for free markets during her tenure as prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.

“The socialists tell us that there are massive profits in a particular industry and they should not go to the shareholders — but that the public should reap the benefits. Benefits? What benefits … the only interest now left to the public is in witnessing the depressing spectacle of their money going down the drain,” Thatcher said of socialists, according to the Foundation for Economic Education.

Omar did recognize the difference between herself and the Iron Lady in a tweet from 2017.

I personally didn’t like her politics and policies but really admired how she was unapologetically herself.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 22, 2017

“I personally didn’t like her politics and policies but really admired how she was unapologetically herself,” she wrote at the time.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases