Monday, October 26, 2026

Trump slams Muslim Democratic candidate at battleground Michigan rally: “No jihadist in the Senate”

Input
2026-10-26 11:06:38
Updated
2026-10-26 11:06:38
U.S. President Donald Trump campaigns for a candidate in Port Huron, Michigan. Reuters-Yonhap
[Financial News] Donald Trump visited Michigan, a battleground in November’s midterm elections, and called for support for the Republican candidate while branding the Muslim Democratic Senate candidate a “jihadist (an advocate of Islamic holy war).”
On the 25th (local time), President Trump visited Port Huron, Michigan, and said, “I’m here to stop a jihadist member of the Muslim Brotherhood from becoming a U.S. senator.” He then brought the father of 9/11 victim Todd Beamer onto the stage. By invoking the terrorist attack, Trump likened Abdul El-Sayed, the Muslim Democratic candidate running for a Michigan Senate seat, to a terrorist. He claimed that “several members of candidate El-Sayed’s family are linked to terrorist organizations,” and that “if El-Sayed is elected, the Democrats will bring jihadists into the United States and let them engage in violence and terrorism.”
President Trump said that inflation caused by the war with Iran could have been more severe, but had not been, seeking to downplay the war’s economic harm. He repeated his claim that “the war will end soon one way or another.” He said emphatically, “I thought gas prices would double or triple, but they didn’t rise by that much. That’s a small price to pay compared with taking nuclear weapons away from fanatics,” adding, “I have no regrets.”
Abdul El-Sayed. AP Newsis
El-Sayed, a staunchly progressive Democrat, is in a close race against Republican Mike Rogers for a Senate seat. The seat was previously held by a Democrat, making it important both to Democrats seeking to regain control of the Senate and to Republicans hoping to retain their majority.
The day before, former President Barack Obama visited Detroit, Michigan, to campaign in support of a candidate, given the seat’s importance. In response, President Trump said, “Yesterday’s crowd wasn’t this big,” and took a swipe at Obama, saying he “doesn’t even know why he got the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Trump later voiced his anger at not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, then suddenly launched into a scathing attack: “I don’t like Norway. Honestly, Norway is terrible. Norway has become a country in disarray.” The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
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