Trump Faces Backlash After Fierce Campaign Attack on Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed
President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during a campaign stop on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Port Huron, Michigan. Speaking at the McMorran Place Sports and Entertainment Center, Trump questioned the loyalty of the former Detroit health official, invoking anti-Muslim rhetoric and drawing immediate condemnation from former key allies within the Arab American community.
Addressing supporters in the Canadian border city about an hour north of Detroit, Trump explicitly labeled El-Sayed a “jihadist” who was “on the side of the terrorists.” He told the crowd that the Democratic nominee would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate” and declared that his mission in Michigan was “to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator.” No evidence exists showing El-Sayed has any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Trump also invoked the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks during his speech, drawing a direct comparison between keeping El-Sayed out of the Senate chamber and the actions of the passengers aboard United Flight 93 who fought back against hijackers. Beyond El-Sayed, Trump directed attacks at Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, while also bringing musical artist Nicki Minaj on stage during the event.
Rebukes from Allies and Campaign Pushback
The fallout from the rally was swift. Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump—a group that helped the president’s outreach to Arab American voters in 2024—sharply criticized the remarks. Bahbah, whose organization has since changed its name to Arab Americans for Peace, called the statements racist and unacceptable.
“The president’s statements are out of line,” Bahbah said in a phone interview, adding that Trump was “crossing a red line” by targeting a candidate over his religion. Bahbah noted that voters in Muslim and Arab communities, including Christian Arabs, would remember the comments on Nov. 3.
El-Sayed, who would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected, pushed back against the attacks at a campaign event in Grand Rapids later Sunday evening. Speaking alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, El-Sayed brushed off Trump’s mispronunciations and characterizations of his name. “I will be Senator Muhammad to you, bro,” El-Sayed told cheering supporters, adding that he cared little about the insults so long as he takes office after November.
High-Stakes Battle for Senate Control
The contest between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan is expected to be a key race in deciding control of the Senate. With Republicans currently facing political headwinds over inflation, high fuel prices and the ongoing war with Iran, Trump has increasingly framed Democratic candidates as national security threats.
Rogers joined Trump on stage in Port Huron, reinforcing the rhetoric surrounding the Democratic nominee. “The Muslim Brotherhood celebrated exactly one victory in the United States in the primary this year,” Rogers claimed to the crowd. “Abdul El-Sayed’s.”
The rhetoric comes as both parties fight for key voters in Michigan. In 2024, Trump made historic gains in the state’s Arab American enclaves, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate since 2000 to win the city of Dearborn. Whether those gains hold through Election Day remains a central question for both campaigns.