Trump links Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to Muslim extremists at Port Huron rally

Summary

At a Sunday campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, President Donald Trump escalated his push to tie Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim, to Muslim extremists. According to the South China Morning Post, Trump compared El-Sayed to the September 11 attackers, said Democrats would let violent anti-American terrorists into the United States, and said, "I'm here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator." The Post noted that 66 per cent of the vote in the Port Huron area went to Trump. The New York Times reported that Trump, seeking to rally the Republican base in a tight Senate race, said El-Sayed would "invite hordes of jihadis to our shores." NPR reported that Trump portrayed El-Sayed as a threat to national security and questioned his loyalty to the United States. Al Jazeera described the remarks as another fierce anti-Muslim attack on El-Sayed, and separately reported on El-Sayed's response, in a piece headlined "Deflections."

Timeline

1. South China Morning Post

   25 Oct 2026, 22:29 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump, at a Sunday campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, compared Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the September 11 attackers and called him a jihadist and Muslim Brotherhood member.

2. Al Jazeera

   26 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump launched another fierce anti-Muslim attack on Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

3. The New York Times

   26 Oct 2026, 02:26 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump said El-Sayed, a Muslim, would invite hordes of jihadis to US shores, as he sought to bolster the Republican candidate in a tight Senate race in Michigan.

4. NPR

   26 Oct 2026, 09:22 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump intensified his anti-Muslim rhetoric against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday, portraying him as a threat to national security and questioning his loyalty to the United States.

5. Al Jazeera

   26 Oct 2026, 20:17 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Abdul El-Sayed responded to Trump's anti-Muslim attacks, in a piece headlined "Deflections."