Trump Intensifies Attacks on Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El Sayed
US President Donald Trump escalated anti-Muslim rhetoric against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed during a weekend campaign rally in Port Huron, portraying the Democrat as a national security threat and questioning his loyalty. The remarks target a tight electoral contest that could ultimately decide control of the United States Senate.
Trump labeled El Sayed a “jihadist” and asserted the former Detroit health official would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate,” invoking comparisons to the 2001 terrorist attacks. The president also criticized Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota during the event in Port Huron, a Canadian border city north of Detroit.
The rhetoric drew an immediate, sharp rebuke from Bishara Bahbah, founder of Arab Americans for Trump, the group that spearheaded the president’s 2024 community outreach. Bahbah condemned the statements in a phone interview, calling them out of line, crossing a red line, and racist.
Republicans facing defensive political terrain over inflation, fuel prices, and the Iran war have sought to energize voter turnout by casting El Sayed and other Democrats as existential threats. The Michigan race pits El Sayed against Republican candidate Mike Rogers in a key battleground contest.
Campaign opponents have repeatedly attempted to link El Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, pointing to a 2012 social media post by his half-sister regarding family history in the 1970s. Campaign records show no direct evidence links El Sayed himself to the organization. Trump also targeted El Sayed’s associations with political streamer Hasan Piker, who appeared alongside the candidate during the primary campaign.
Addressing supporters at a rally in Grand Rapids, El Sayed dismissed the attacks on his identity and name, telling crowds he remains focused on the legislative outcome. He would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected.
