Trump Calls Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed a "Jihadist" at Iowa Rally
Donald Trump repeatedly called Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, a "jihadist" at a campaign event in Iowa on Nov. 1, according to The Guardian.
Speaking about El-Sayed, Trump said, "If you vote for this jihadist lunatic that wants to destroy you, you're crazy." He also said Congress would have to "get a special metal detector for Abdul" if El-Sayed were elected.
El-Sayed is a practicing Muslim and a Michigan progressive. He won the Democratic primary in August, defeating Haley Stevens, a former congresswoman who had been his rival for the nomination.
The primary left a rift in the party. Stevens declined to campaign with El-Sayed and demanded that he disavow an ad from an outside group that linked rising prices to U.S. military support for Israel's war in Gaza. El-Sayed told Stevens to stay away from an event on Nov. 1 where the two were scheduled to appear together. Stevens then endorsed Republican Mike Rogers, El-Sayed's opponent in the November race. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned her decision to back Rogers.
Trump praised Stevens for turning against El-Sayed and urged her to join the Republican Party. He described Rogers as "apple pie" and said the country needs "apple pie," not "the communists or jihadists, the Muslim Brotherhood," a group he named in the same breath.
Trump also said "Pretend I'm on the ballot" and "Essentially, I am on the ballot," ahead of the midterm elections on Tuesday, in which voters will choose members of Congress.
The use of the word was not new. At a campaign rally in Michigan on Oct. 25, Trump said, "I'm here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator," according to Reuters. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, denounced that remark as racist attacks. At the same rally, Trump attacked Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, as the Associated Press reported.
The Michigan Senate race is described by The Guardian as close, and it is expected to play a large role in determining which party controls the Senate after the midterm elections. Trump's remarks about El-Sayed have come as the campaign approaches its final days.
