President Donald Trump used a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday to sharpen his attacks on Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the state’s open Senate seat. Trump called El-Sayed a “jihadist” who was “on the side of the terrorists” and said he would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate,” according to the Associated Press.
Trump repeatedly invoked the September 11, 2001, attacks, drawing a comparison between stopping El-Sayed from entering the Senate chamber and the passengers who fought back against the hijackers aboard United Flight 93. He told the crowd he had come to Michigan to stop a member of the Muslim Brotherhood from reaching the Senate.
El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official, has rejected the accusations and called questions about his loyalty “shameful.” If elected, he would become the first Muslim member of the Senate. Reporting on the race has found no evidence that he belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The remarks drew a rebuke from Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump, the group that helped lead the president’s outreach to Arab American voters in 2024. Bahbah called the comments “out of line” and “racist” in a phone interview with the Associated Press.
Michigan’s Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers is among a handful of contests that could determine control of the chamber.
Source: Associated Press
