PORT HURON, Miss. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday escalated his attacks on Democratic Senate candidate Abdul-Sayed, using rhetoric that questioned the Muslim candidate’s loyalty to the United States and repeatedly trying to link him to extremism, which Democrats have repeatedly denied and condemned.
“Over the past three weeks, I’ve traveled all over the country. But I’m here in Michigan today for a very important reason,” Trump told the crowd in Port Huron. “I’m here to stop a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a U.S. senator.”
The Republican president has attacked El-Sayed’s beliefs throughout the campaign and claimed his past comments and background showed sympathy for extremists. Said, a former public health official, has repeatedly said he is loyal to the United States and disavows the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement whose offshoot has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
The Republicans’ claims were condemned by Democrats as an attack on El-Sayed’s faith and his Egyptian roots. If elected, Saied would become the first Muslim senator.
Trump’s return to Michigan reflects the importance of the campaign. Republicans see an opportunity to flip the Senate as they try to retain their majority. El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers, a Trump-backed former congressman, in the Nov. 3 race to replace retiring Democrat Gary Peters.
The race has reverberated beyond Michigan, with Republicans viewing El-Sayed as a symbol of the Democratic Party’s further shift to the left. Progressives, meanwhile, see his candidacy as a test of whether their agenda can win in battleground states ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
Trump references 9/11 when talking about El-Sayed
Trump on Sunday cited the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, comparing blocking El-Sayed from entering the Senate to passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 who fought back against the hijackers.
“Twenty-five years later, Michigan needs to stand up and fight, just like Todd did, to stop the jihadists from walking into the Capitol,” Trump said, referring to Todd Beemer, a Michigan native who died on the plane.
Trump then invited Beamer’s parents to the stage.
READ MORE: Obama slams Trump and allies in Midwest for ‘cruel’ and lewd behavior in midterm campaign
Trump’s visit to Port Huron follows appearances by former Democratic President Barack Obama for the party’s candidates in Michigan and Ohio on Saturday. It’s the latest stop in Trump’s tight campaign schedule to bolster Republicans in the midterm elections as voters frustrated by the economy and the war with Iran put pressure on the party.
Port Huron is about 60 miles (96.56 kilometers) northeast of Detroit and across the St. Clair River from Canada, where Trump’s tariffs have strained trade relations between the two long-time allies.
Unlike Trump’s earlier visits to Republican-controlled states, Republicans haven’t won a Senate race in Michigan in more than three decades. Rogers ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2024, losing to then-Rep. Alyssa Slotkin.
El-Sayed mocked Trump and encouraged him to travel to Michigan because he believed the visit would be counterproductive for Rogers.
“Donald, if you’re watching, don’t lose your temper, man,” El-Sayed said. The progressive, who won a divisive primary in August, said the country needed to “turn the page” on Donald Trump.
The event was one of the most controversial of the year
During the second and final general election debate, Rogers questioned El-Sayed’s loyalty to the United States.
“Do you support the United States or do you support overseas terrorist organizations?” Rogers asked.
Said said the questioning was “shameful”.
“I’m proud of our Constitution, which guarantees all of us the right to pray of our choice,” he said.
READ MORE: El-Sayed and Rogers question each other’s loyalties in final Michigan Senate debate
Ahead of Trump’s appearance on Sunday, Rogers reiterated his accusations linking El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood.
“The Muslim Brotherhood celebrated a victory in this year’s U.S. primaries,” Rogers said on stage. “Abd al-Sayed’s.”
El-Sayed has been criticized for his comments, particularly when he said “hurt people, hurt people” after an attack on a Detroit-area synagogue. The attackers lost four relatives in Israeli air strikes in Lebanon a week ago. El-Sayed later apologized, saying he was not trying to defend what happened.
“I’m truly sorry to anyone who felt my comments might have been hurtful,” he said. “That was not my intention.”
El-Sayed has been working to unite Democrats after a contentious primary against Rep. Haley Stevens. Appearing on CNN on Sunday, Stevens declined to make it clear whether she “still fully supports” El-Sayed, instead saying she was “on the team” and naming other Michigan Democratic candidates but not the party’s Senate nominee.
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