Midterms: Trump calls El-Sayed a "jihadist" in Michigan, angering Democrats
Trump campaigned in Port Huron for Senate candidate Mike Rogers. His rival Abdul El-Sayed could become the first Muslim U.S. senator. Democrats see an attack on his faith.
Archive image · Photo: Conlan Houston / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
A little over a week before the Nov. 3 congressional elections, U.S. President Donald Trump campaigned in Michigan for Republican Mike Rogers. His appearance in Port Huron on Sunday was set to highlight the tariff dispute with Canada, according to Fox News. Beforehand, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he was heading to Michigan to fight a "Jihadist" and "Member of the Muslim Brotherhood," referring to Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. AP says the claim that El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood is false; Democrats see the attacks as an assault on his faith.
At the event, Trump again called for the resignation of Rep. Ilhan Omar, whom he called a "little troublemaker." El-Sayed called that "disgusting" and "un-American." At a rally in Grand Rapids, Sen. Bernie Sanders called the attacks on El-Sayed racist. Rogers denies his criticism of El-Sayed is religiously motivated, saying "you can pray any way you want." Former President Barack Obama campaigned for El-Sayed in Michigan on Saturday.
Michigan is filling the seat of retiring Democrat Gary Peters. Republicans have not won a Senate race there in more than three decades; Rogers lost to Elissa Slotkin in 2024 by less than one percentage point. Republicans are dealing with voter frustration over the economy and the war with Iran, according to AP. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in each chamber for a majority, according to Reuters.