Ilhan Omar spats with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele ahead of his re-election

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., got into a spat with El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele ahead of his re-election, calling some of his actions a "threat to democracy."

"I led Members of Congress in sending a letter to @SecBlinken urging action on threats to democracy in El Salvador," Omar wrote on the social media platform, X. "The State Dept must review its relationship with El Salvador and defend democratic values. The Salvadoran people deserve free and fair elections without fear of repression."

The "community notes" feature on X corrected Omar's remarks and stated that Bukele won his election democratically in 2019.

"We are HONORED to receive your attacks, just days before OUR election," Bukele shot back in response on social media. "I would be very worried if we had your support. Thank you."

El Salvador was once known as the "murder capital" of the world. One of Bukele's main issues was changing that and making significant reforms, including imprisoning more criminals and allowing the government to crack down more on crime.

Some have criticized Bukele's policies for being too harsh and even corrupt.  

Salvadorian Justice and Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro stated that El Salvador recorded 154 murders in 2023, which is a 70% drop from 2022, according to Fox News. 

El Salvador's general election starts Feb. 4.