President Trump warns Michigan crowd about Abdul El-Sayed’s jihadist links as he backs Mike Rogers
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At a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, President Donald Trump said Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is a “Muslim Brotherhood member” and argued he should be screened with a metal detector, while endorsing Republican nominee Mike Rogers.
President Donald Trump used a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday to rally support for Republican Senate nominee former Rep. Mike Rogers and to confront Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed over his troubling associations. Trump said El-Sayed is a “jihadist” and a “Muslim Brotherhood member,” adding that the candidate should be screened with a metal detector before entering the Senate.
"Anyone with that record of support for jihadists would be screened and unable to get a seat on an airplane. They certainly should not give him a seat in the United States Senate," Trump said.
Trump connected the Senate contest to the September 11 attacks, referring to Todd Beamer, a passenger who died on United Flight 93. He introduced speaker David Beamer, whose son was killed on 9/11, and said Michigan must “stand up and fight just like Todd did to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol.”
Beamer reinforced the comparison, describing the election as an “attack” by “local terrorists” and arguing that El-Sayed is not an American despite his birth certificate.
Both candidates were born in Michigan. El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The candidate has denied any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization the Trump administration has designated as a terrorist group in several countries.
Republican nominee Mike Rogers, when asked about Trump’s remarks, said the race is “me versus Abdul” and noted he has never called El-Sayed a terrorist. Rogers previously questioned El-Sayed’s mother about her work with a charity later labeled by the U.S. government as supporting terrorist groups, though no wrongdoing was alleged at the time.
Trump also referenced former President Barack Obama, who had spoken in Detroit the previous day in support of Democratic candidates, saying Obama “didn’t have a crowd like this.”