Trump Calls El-Sayed a "Jihadist" at Michigan Rally
Donald Trump called Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed a "jihadist" at a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, nine days before the November 3 midterm elections. Al Jazeera reported that Trump spoke for nearly two hours to hundreds of supporters at the event.
Trump said, "I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator." He also accused El-Sayed of wanting the United States to go to Sharia law, and suggested that Christmas would be cancelled if El-Sayed won. According to the same report, Trump said El-Sayed "would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate."
In the weeks before the rally, Trump repeatedly referred to El-Sayed as "Mohammed," a name that is not his. The Associated Press reported that Trump intensified anti-Muslim rhetoric against the Michigan candidate.
El-Sayed, a U.S.-born citizen and former public health official, faces Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's open Senate seat. The seat is currently held by Democratic Senator Gary Peters, who is retiring. NBC News reported that the two candidates are tied in the race.
Michigan's contest is one of about seven toss-up races for the U.S. Senate this year, a category used for contests considered too close to call. Only 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are up for election in 2026, and Republicans currently hold 53 of them, according to Al Jazeera.
Earlier, El-Sayed and Senator Bernie Sanders held a rally in Grand Rapids in response to Trump. C-SPAN carried that event.
