‘Here to keep a jihadist out’: Trump attacks Muslim Senate candidate El-Sayed at Michigan rally

Seeking to paint El-Sayed as an anti-American Muslim radical, Trump took the rhetoric to a new level, likening him to the attackers who took over United Flight 93 during the 11 September 2001 attacks.

US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during a Sunday rally, comparing him to the 9/11 attackers in an attempt to link him to Muslim extremists.

He also alleged that the Democratic Party would open the country's doors to violent, anti-American terrorists.

Michigan has one of the nation's most competitive US Senate races heading into the November 3 midterm elections, with former US Representative Mike Rogers, a Republican, and El-Sayed vying for an open seat that will help determine control of the chamber.

Trump calls Abdul El-Sayed ‘jihadist’

“I'm here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” the president told a receptive audience in Port Huron, which is in a Michigan area where 66% of the vote went to Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

If El-Sayed wins, he would be the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

Seeking to paint El-Sayed as an anti-American Muslim radical, Trump took the rhetoric to a new level, likening him to the attackers who took over United Flight 93 during the 11 September 2001 attacks.

Trump also compared voting against El-Sayed to the actions of Michigan native Todd Beamer and others who fought back against the Flight 93 hijackers.

"Twenty-five years later, Michigan needs to stand up and fight, just like Todd did, to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol," Trump said.

El-Sayed responds

El-Sayed has dismissed the accusations against him and, in a recent advertisement, defended his religion, saying, “Faith is a thing there's just too little of in Washington.”

The mostly White crowd at Sunday's rally cheered Trump’s comments on El-Sayed. Some attendees yelled “traitor” and others yelled “deport,” although El-Sayed was born in Michigan.

Earlier on Sunday, he said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he did not agree with the notion that El-Sayed is a violent terrorist. "I've never called him a terrorist," Rogers told NBC.

Rogers has alleged without evidence that El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Arab world's oldest and most influential Islamist groups.

El-Sayed has denied affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, saying it is "shameful" for Rogers to question his allegiance to the United States.

Rogers told "Meet the Press" that El-Sayed had not sufficiently responded to questions about the allegations.

"He's a Democrat Socialist of America-aligned candidate who has these pretty radical support groups that don't like America," he said.

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