Trump calls Muslim Senate candidate El-Sayed a 'jihadist' in Michigan, candidate hits back
Ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, US President Donald Trump has accused Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed of extremism and links to the Muslim Brotherhood in the fiercely contested Michigan Senate race. At an election rally in Port Huron, Michigan, Trump compared El-Sayed to the hijackers of United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, and labelled him a 'jihadist'.
Trump told supporters in Port Huron that he had come to stop a jihadist member of the Muslim Brotherhood from becoming a US senator. He also claimed that if El-Sayed were elected, he would be the only one who would have to pass through a metal detector before entering the Senate. Trump won 66 percent of the vote in this area in the 2024 presidential election.
If El-Sayed wins, he will be the first Muslim member elected in the history of the US Senate.
After Trump's remarks, El-Sayed responded at a meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, rejecting the accusations as 'hypocrisy'. El-Sayed said the US president was expressing anger over the first part of his name, yet showed no objection when Saudis and Qataris with the same name invested in Trump's son-in-law's firm or gave Trump a private jet as a gift.
The Republican candidate for the seat, former US representative Mike Rogers, did not directly answer Trump's 9/11-related comments, but told NBC's 'Meet the Press' that he does not consider El-Sayed a terrorist. Without evidence, however, he alleged that El-Sayed has links to the Muslim Brotherhood and is receiving support from groups close to the Democratic Socialists of America.
El-Sayed, who was born in Michigan, called Rogers's allegation 'shameful' and strongly protested against questions being raised about his patriotism and loyalty.
Earlier, on Saturday, former president Barack Obama, campaigning for Democrats in Detroit, condemned the attack. Obama said opponents were trying to portray El-Sayed as 'less American' than others, as had been done to him in the past with false claims about his birth in Kenya.
The Michigan Senate seat will play an extremely important role in the coming midterm elections. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the US Senate and 218-214 in the House of Representatives, and Democrats need to win only a few seats to change that.
