President Donald Trump stepped up his anti-Muslim attacks on Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a rally in Port Huron on Sunday. He portrayed the Democrat as a national security threat and questioned his loyalty to the United States 13. The Senate race is among a handful that could decide which party controls the chamber 1.
Trump called El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official, a "jihadist" who was "on the side of the terrorists." He said El-Sayed would "have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate" 1. He also repeatedly invoked the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks 1.
I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator.
A former Trump ally objects
The sharpest rebuke came from Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump. That group helped lead Trump's outreach to Arab American voters in 2024 1. Its new name is Arab Americans for Peace 1.
Bahbah said, "people are going to remember that on Nov. 3" 1. That matters because Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate since 2000 to win Dearborn, a city with one of the nation's largest Arab American populations 1.
From Channel GOPTrump's pardon reveals deep corruptionAbdul El-Sayed · 167 plays · captioned, with the source named
What El-Sayed and Democrats said
El-Sayed has called attacks on his loyalty shameful and has repeatedly denied any ties to extremist groups 1. At a Grand Rapids rally later Sunday, he joked about Trump's habit of mocking his name, saying he would be Senator Muhammad to the president 1.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, speaking at that rally, said Trump and his allies use Islamophobia because they have nothing to say about health care, housing and income inequality 2. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Republicans who stood with Trump were fully endorsing his agenda 2.
The Muslim Brotherhood claim
Republicans have tried to link El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic movement with branches the U.S. government has designated as terrorist organizations 1. The AP reports there is no evidence El-Sayed has any affiliation with it 13. At a town hall earlier this month, he said "absolutely" when asked whether he would disavow the group 2.
His half-sister wrote on social media in 2012 that her family had long been involved. The AP notes El-Sayed was born in the U.S. and raised by his father, not his biological mother 1.
The coverage also notes El-Sayed has faced criticism. He has refused to say whether Iran or Israel is a bigger threat. He later apologized for saying "hurt people hurt people" after a synagogue attack near Detroit 1.
What happens next
El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters 1. In their final debate, Rogers asked El-Sayed, "Are you for America, or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?" 1. Vice President JD Vance is due in Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday 2.
The pattern is a campaign built on fear. With Republicans on the defensive over inflation, soaring fuel prices and the Iran war, Trump is casting Democrats as existential threats instead of electoral rivals, according to the AP 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.
The Record
Sources
- NPR, “Trump escalates anti-Muslim attacks against El-Sayed in Michigan” (2026-10-26). npr.org/2026/10/26/nx-s1-6016816/trump-escalates-anti-muslim
- CBS News, “Trump attacks El-Sayed over his faith, calls him "jihadist"” (2026-10-26). cbsnews.com/news/president-trump-port-huron-rally-republican
- PBS NewsHour, “Trump escalates rhetoric against El-Sayed as he tries to undermine Democrat in Michigan Senate race” (2026-10-25). pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-escalates-rhetoric-against-e
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