Port Huron, Michigan – United States President Donald Trump has sharpened his anti-Muslim attacks against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, going so far as to suggest that Christmas would be cancelled if the progressive physician won. Trump visited Michigan on Sunday to shore up support for Republican candidates in the Midwestern state ahead of the midterm elections on November 3. But from his podium, he levelled unfounded allegations against El-Sayed, including calling him a “jihadist”.
The president, whose popularity has been slipping in part due to the US-Israeli war against Iran, spoke for nearly two hours to hundreds of supporters. His remarks largely focused on Michigan’s Senate election, which is one of only about seven toss-up races for the upper chamber of Congress. El-Sayed faces Republican candidate Mike Rogers for the state’s open Senate seat, and the race is considered crucial for Republicans to retain control of the 100-member Senate.
If Rogers wins, he would flip a seat currently held by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters, leaving Democrats with the difficult task of flipping five other seats to regain control of the chamber. Currently, Republicans have a 53-seat majority in the Senate. Only 35 Senate positions are up for election in 2026.
Here are five key takeaways from the event. While Trump has repeatedly targeted El-Sayed’s Muslim identity in recent weeks, including by misrepresenting the Democrat’s name as “Mohammed”, the US president took his rhetoric to new heights on Sunday. Throughout the speech, Trump returned to themes related to El-Sayed’s Muslim faith, falsely accusing the candidate of wanting to impose Islamic law in the US.
I’ll be a witness,” Trump said, apparently imagining El-Sayed being tried in a religious court. Several times during the rally, some attendees blurted out “traitor” when El-Sayed’s name was mentioned. El-Sayed is a US-born citizen and former public health official who has pledged to uphold the Constitution.
There is no evidence that he was ever a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or any foreign organisation. Since Trump first ran for president during the 2016 election cycle, he has weaponised anti-Muslim bigotry for political gain. In 2015, for instance — near the start of his first successful campaign — Trump said he would support “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
