Minneapolis City Council Vice President Jamal Osman, who was born in Somalia, stumbled repeatedly over the word "autonomous" while introducing an ordinance to regulate self-driving vehicles, at one point substituting the word "anonymous" instead. Footage of the gaffe was shared by the conservative account Libs of TikTok and mocked online, thrusting Osman into an unwelcome spotlight as the city debates new rules for commercial driverless cars.

Osman is one of four council members, alongside Robin Wonsley, Jason Chavez and Aurin Chowdhury, backing an ordinance that would require autonomous vehicle firms operating in Minneapolis to obtain a city licence and keep a licensed human safety monitor behind the wheel, with a public hearing set for 22 September. The proposal is aimed at both safety and protecting thousands of rideshare drivers' jobs from competition by unregulated tech companies. Osman, who arrived in the US as a teenage refugee via Kenya, became the city's first Somali-American council vice president in January; the clip surfaced against a tense backdrop after President Trump previously criticised Minnesota's Somali community over alleged government-funding fraud.