Former President Donald Trump campaigned in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday to support the state’s Republican candidates, centering his remarks on the closely contested U.S. Senate race between former Republican Representative Mike Rogers and Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. During the rally, Trump leveled accusations against El-Sayed, calling him a “jihadist” and alleging ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928. Trump contrasted El-Sayed with Rogers, whom he described as “apple pie.”
“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 told the crowd. He added that El-Sayed would be the only senator requiring a metal detector before entering the chamber.
Trump also invoked the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while introducing speaker David Beamer, whose son Todd Beamer died as a passenger on hijacked United Flight 93. Beamer, who has appeared in campaign advertisements for Rogers, drew a direct comparison between the Senate contest and the 2001 attacks, characterizing the upcoming November 3 election as a confrontation against domestic threats. Beamer asserted that Rogers is “an American” while claiming El-Sayed is not, questioning his allegiance despite both candidates having been born in Michigan.
El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the rally. The Democratic nominee has repeatedly denied and denounced any connection to the Muslim Brotherhood. Last week, El-Sayed addressed questions regarding the group during a heated exchange at a town hall event, telling an attendee that it is an assumption to believe a Muslim individual holds allegiance to anything other than the U.S. Constitution.
Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers addressed Trump’s remarks during an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” When pressed on whether he agreed with Trump’s characterizations of his opponent as a “Muslim Brotherhood jihadist” and a “violent terrorist,” Rogers stated that the election centers on “me versus Abdul,” adding, “I’ve never called him a terrorist.”
Rogers has previously questioned El-Sayed regarding his mother, Fatten Elkomy, and her past work decades ago with a charity later designated by the federal government as a supporter of terrorist groups, which subsequently led to its closure. Elkomy was not accused of any wrongdoing at the time.
During Sunday’s event, Trump also referenced former President Barack Obama, who had appeared in Detroit on Saturday alongside El-Sayed to support Michigan Democratic candidates. Trump, drawing comparisons between the weekend events, asserted that Obama did not draw a comparable crowd.
