US President Donald Trump has intensified his attacks on Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, comparing him to the hijackers involved in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and accusing Democrats of allowing violent anti-American extremists into the country.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, Trump told supporters he was determined to prevent El-Sayed, a Muslim Democrat, from winning a seat in the US Senate.
“I’m here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” Trump said.
If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate.
Trump also compared voting against El-Sayed to the actions of Todd Beamer, a Michigan native who helped fight back against hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks.
“Twenty-five years later, Michigan needs to stand up and fight, just like Todd did, to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol,” Trump said.
He further claimed that El-Sayed would be the only senator required to pass through a metal detector before entering the Senate.
El-Sayed has rejected the allegations, while questioning what he described as Trump’s hypocrisy over his name and connections involving Middle Eastern countries.
Speaking at an event in Grand Rapids on Sunday night, El-Sayed pointed to Saudi funding reportedly received by Affinity Partners, the investment firm founded by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Qatar’s gift of a Boeing 747 jet to Trump.
“I get that the president of the United States takes personal offense to my first name,” El-Sayed said.
“He doesn’t mind as much when it’s a shared name from the Saudis who are funding his son-in-law’s private equity, doesn’t seem to mind as much when it’s the Qataris who are giving him a $400 million private jet.”
Rogers Rejects Calling El-Sayed A Terrorist
The controversy comes as Michigan prepares for one of the country’s most competitive Senate races ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Republican candidate Mike Rogers, a former US representative, is competing against El-Sayed for an open Senate seat that could help determine control of the chamber.
At Trump’s rally, some supporters shouted “traitor” and “deport” in response to the president’s remarks, despite El-Sayed being born in Michigan.
Rogers, however, distanced himself from the most extreme accusations. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, he said he did not agree with the suggestion that El-Sayed was a violent terrorist.
“I’ve never called him a terrorist,” Rogers said.
Rogers has alleged that El-Sayed has links to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organisation with a long history in the Arab world, but El-Sayed has denied any affiliation with the group.
El-Sayed has described attempts to question his loyalty to the United States as “shameful”.
Rogers maintained that El-Sayed had not adequately addressed the allegations, describing him as a Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidate supported by groups he claimed were hostile to the US.
Obama Accuses Opponents Of Questioning El-Sayed’s American Identity
Trump’s rally came a day after former US president Barack Obama campaigned for Democrats in Detroit, highlighting Michigan’s importance in the upcoming elections.
Obama criticised attacks against El-Sayed, arguing that his opponents were attempting to portray the candidate as less American than themselves.
He also compared the rhetoric to false claims that he was born in Kenya.
“This stuff didn’t work on me,” Obama said. “Not in Michigan. It’s not going to work on Abdul.”
Democrats are seeking to win enough seats in the Senate and House of Representatives to overturn Republicans’ narrow majorities in both chambers.
