Trump dials up Islamophobia at Michigan Senate rally against Abdul El-Sayed

Port Huron, Michigan – United States President Donald Trump has sharpened his anti-Muslim attacks against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, going so far as to suggest that Christmas would be cancelled if the progressive physician won.

Key points

• As a congressman, nevertheless, Rogers voted in 2012 to continue US aid to Egypt under Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi.
• El-Sayed faces Republican candidate Mike Rogers for the state's open Senate seat, and the race is considered crucial for Republicans to retain control of the 100-member Senate.
• On Sunday, the average cost of one gallon of gasoline in Michigan was $4.83, up from $2.91 before the start of the war with Iran.
• Before the war, Trump additionally argued that US strikes against Iran's uranium enrichment facilities in June 2025 had completely "obliterated" the country's nuclear programme.
• Trump visited Michigan on Sunday to shore up backing for Republican candidates in the Midwestern state ahead of the midterm elections on November 3.

But from his podium, he levelled unfounded allegations against El-Sayed, including calling him a "jihadist".

"He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate, " Trump remarked of El-Sayed. "I want him to have a metal detector."

Meanwhile, the president, whose popularity has been slipping in part due to the US-Israeli war against Iran, spoke for almost two hours to hundreds of supporters.

His remarks largely focused on Michigan's Senate election. It is one of only regarding seven toss-up races for the upper chamber of Congress.

If Rogers wins, he would flip a seat at present held by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters, leaving Democrats with the challenging task of flipping five other seats to regain control of the chamber.

At present, Republicans have a 53-seat majority in the Senate. Only 35 Senate positions are up for election in 2026. Here are five key takeaways from the event. Trump doubles down on anti-Muslim attacks.

While Trump has repeatedly targeted El-Sayed's Muslim identity in recent weeks, including by misrepresenting the Democrat's name as "Mohammed", the US president took his rhetoric to new heights on Sunday.

Throughout the speech, Trump returned to themes related to El-Sayed's Muslim faith, falsely accusing the candidate of wanting to impose Islamic law in the US.

"So Abdul. Additionally wants our country to go to Sharia law, and if he ever pulls that off, he should be the first one that's tried. I'll be a witness, " Trump remarked, apparently imagining El-Sayed being tried in a religious court.

In practice, a number of times during the rally, some attendees blurted out "traitor" when El-Sayed's name was mentioned.

"I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator, " Trump remarked.

El-Sayed is a US-born citizen and former public health official who has pledged to uphold the Constitution. There is no evidence that he was ever a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or any foreign organisation.

Since Trump first ran for president during the 2016 election cycle, he has weaponised anti-Muslim bigotry for political gain.

In 2015, for instance – near the start of his first successful campaign – Trump remarked he would backing "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States".

Less than two years afterwards, Trump employed the presidency to sign a short-lived executive order barring travel from multiple Muslim-majority countries, in what became known as the "Muslim ban".

In Sunday's speech, Trump appealed once more to fears of Muslim immigration.

"If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadists to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas, " Trump remarked.

El-Sayed has largely previously dismissed the anti-Muslim rhetoric against him as an attempt to create "distractions", saying that he is focused more on domestic problems, including lowering the cost of living and expanding access to healthcare.

With Trump's approval ratings plummeting, some Republican candidates in tight races have kept their distance from the president.

Rogers had previously pressed an end to the Iran war and expressed reservations concerning Trump's tariff campaign, calling for an end to the trade war with Canada. It borders Michigan.

But Rogers attended Sunday's rally and took the stage alongside Trump, in a display of mutual backing.

In practice, a survey by the research firm Marketing Resource Group suggested earlier this month that only 35 percent of voters in Michigan view Trump positively.

Rogers set the tone for the anti-Muslim attacks against El-Sayed earlier in the rally, claiming that El-Sayed is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, a political movement in Egypt that was designated as a "terrorist" group by the US this year.

In Sunday's speech, Rogers additionally tried to paint El-Sayed as part of the Democratic Socialists for America (DSA), but unlike other progressives, El-Sayed is not a member of the left-wing group.

"This DSA-affiliated candidate is also taking a lot of money from organizations that support the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Hezbollah, " Rogers remarked.

All three groups are designated as "terrorist" organisations in the US, making it illegal to provide any material backing to them. Trump unapologetic regarding Iran.

Tehran has restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the war, sending energy rates soaring.

Trump initially promised that the conflict would only last four to six weeks.

But almost eight months after the US and Israel rolled out the war on February 28, the conflict is showing no signs of concluding. On Sunday, Trump remarked he has no regrets concerning the war.

"I made that decision, and I have no second guess, " Trump informed the crowd.

He continued that he thought gas costs would have rose by much more than they had. He additionally defended his decision by referencing the threat of nuclear warfare.

"The number one state sponsor of terror is Iran by far, and we had to make sure they didn't have a nuclear weapon, " Trump remarked.

But Iran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon. It has long argued its uranium enrichment programme is for civilian energy production.

Before the war, Trump additionally argued that US strikes against Iran's uranium enrichment facilities in June 2025 had completely "obliterated" the country's nuclear programme. 'We're making a freaking fortune'.

Despite the economic anxiety related to the cost of living and skyrocketing gas costs, Trump bragged regarding the amount of profits that US oil businesses are making from the war.

For now, trump dials up Islamophobia at Michigan Senate rally against Abdul El remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.