President Donald Trump called Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed a "jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member" at a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, according to CBS News US and Al Jazeera.
Speaking at McMorran Place, Trump said: "I’m here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator," according to CBS News US. Al Jazeera reported that Trump said El-Sayed would be "the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector" before entering the Senate.
The Hindu reported that Trump compared El-Sayed to the attackers who took over United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Trump said Michigan "needs to stand up and fight" to stop "a jihadist from walking into the Capitol," according to The Hindu. Al Jazeera, quoting the speech, reported that Trump said a Democratic win would "open the floodgates" to "hordes of jihadists."
El-Sayed responded at a Grand Rapids event, saying Trump takes "personal offence to my first name" and does not object when Saudi and Qatari sources benefit his family, according to The Hindu. El-Sayed denies any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood and calls the questioning "shameful," The Hindu reported.
El-Sayed is a US-born citizen and former public health official. Al Jazeera reports there is no evidence he was ever a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or any foreign organisation.
Rogers, the Republican in the race, attended the rally and appeared on stage with Trump, according to Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera reports that Rogers has previously criticised the Iran war and Trump’s tariffs. The Hindu reports that Rogers alleged, without evidence, that El-Sayed is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Republicans who stood with Trump were "fully endorsing" his "toxic agenda," according to CBS News US.
Al Jazeera reports that Trump has repeatedly targeted El-Sayed’s Muslim identity in recent weeks, including misrepresenting his name as "Mohammed."
Michigan’s Senate race is one of about seven toss-up races. The seat is open because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, according to Al Jazeera.
Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to campaign for Republicans at CHI Aviation in Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday, according to CBS News US.
Several points remain unresolved. El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to CBS News Detroit’s request for comment, and Rogers did not respond to Reuters’ questions about Trump’s 9/11 comparison as he left the venue, according to The Hindu. Al Jazeera’s claim that Trump said Christmas would be cancelled under El-Sayed comes from a single outlet, and its excerpt of the speech ends mid-sentence. Neither Al Jazeera nor The Hindu reported a response from the Trump campaign or White House to the criticisms of the rhetoric. This account relies on three outlets.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.