President Trump campaigned in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, using a rally meant to boost Republican turnout ahead of the midterms to level a series of pointed attacks against Democratic Senate candidate Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.
The event centered on Michigan’s closely watched Senate race, where Republican nominee Mike Rogers is facing off against El-Sayed. Before arriving, Trump previewed his message in a post on Truth Social, writing that he was “heading to Michigan to fight a Jihadist Member of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
At the rally, Trump repeated the claim at length, telling the crowd that El-Sayed’s record should disqualify him from serving in Congress.
“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.
He went further, suggesting El-Sayed should face extra security screening if elected.
“He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate. I want him to have a metal detector!” Trump said.
The president also referred to El-Sayed directly during the speech, saying, “I’m here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States Senator, and that’s the fact. We’re not going to let that happen,” and adding that El-Sayed is “a man who should never be allowed inside the halls of our great, beautiful Capitol building in Washington, D.C.”
Trump claimed the criticism draws backlash regardless of its accuracy, saying, “The fake news media hates it when I say that Abdul Mohammed El-Sayed is a jihadist.”
El-Sayed has pushed back on the accusations, saying the attacks on him are rooted in his religion rather than his record.
David Beamer, whose son Todd Beamer was among the passengers who confronted hijackers aboard Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, also addressed the Port Huron crowd. Beamer criticized El-Sayed as anti-American and accused him of accepting support from groups hostile to the United States.
“He’s anti-American. He is happy to be endorsed by our foreign enemies that hate us like the Muslim Brotherhood. He’s happy to take their endorsement and their money because his views align with theirs and theirs align with his,” Beamer said.
Beamer argued that El-Sayed’s broader policy agenda, including his positions on policing and economic policy, represented an effort to undermine the country from within. He closed his remarks by telling the crowd, “Let’s roll,” echoing the words his son is reported to have used before passengers stormed the cockpit on Flight 93.
The rally took place in Port Huron, in Saint Clair County, as part of a broader push by Republicans to retain control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
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