Trump invokes 9/11 attacks to urge Michigan voters to reject Muslim Senate candidate El-Sayed

PORT HURON, Michigan: US President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday, invoking the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to urge Michigan voters to reject the Muslim American politician ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Speaking at a rally supporting Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, Trump portrayed El-Sayed as a threat to national security and accused Democrats of allowing violent anti-American extremists into the United States.

“I’m here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” Trump told supporters in Port Huron, Michigan.

Trump compared voting against El-Sayed to the actions of passengers who resisted hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks. He specifically invoked Todd Beamer, a Michigan native who became associated with the passengers’ resistance.

“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 also suggested that El-Sayed would face additional security measures if elected, saying he would be the only senator required to pass through a metal detector before entering the Senate.

El-Sayed, who was born in Michigan, has rejected accusations that he is an extremist or has links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Competitive Senate race draws national attention

Michigan is among the most closely contested states in the battle for control of the US Senate. El-Sayed is challenging former Republican representative Mike Rogers for an open seat that could help determine which party controls the chamber after the midterm elections.

If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

Trump’s remarks drew enthusiastic reactions from some rally attendees, with people in the predominantly White crowd shouting “traitor” and “deport,” despite El-Sayed being a US-born citizen.

One supporter, Terrance Camburn, a 52-year-old disabled Army veteran from Sandusky, Michigan, said he backed Trump’s criticism because of what he described as El-Sayed’s political beliefs.

Rogers, however, distanced himself from the suggestion that El-Sayed was a violent terrorist. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” earlier on Sunday, Rogers said he had never called his opponent a terrorist.

Rogers has alleged that El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, an influential Islamist movement that originated in Egypt, but Reuters reported that he offered no evidence for the claim. El-Sayed has denied any affiliation with the organization.

Rogers argued that El-Sayed had not adequately addressed questions about the allegations, describing him as a Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidate supported by groups he considers radical.

El-Sayed has called attempts to question his loyalty to the United States “shameful.”

El-Sayed challenges Trump over Middle East ties

At a separate campaign event in Grand Rapids on Sunday evening, El-Sayed criticized Trump’s focus on his Muslim identity and questioned what he described as a double standard in the president’s approach to Middle Eastern figures and governments.

“I get that the president of the United States takes personal offense to my first name,” El-Sayed told supporters.

He contrasted Trump’s criticism of his background with the president’s connections to Saudi and Qatari interests.

“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; he doesn’t seem to mind as much when it’s the Qataris who are giving him a $400 million private jet,” El-Sayed said.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s investment fund, Affinity Partners, has reportedly received billions of dollars from a Saudi government entity. Qatar also reportedly gifted Trump a Boeing 747 jet, according to Reuters.

The dispute has raised questions about political rhetoric, religious identity, and foreign financial ties in an already closely watched Senate contest.

Obama enters the political fight

Trump’s Michigan rally came a day after former President Barack Obama campaigned for Democrats in Detroit, highlighting the state’s importance in the final stretch before the midterms.

Obama criticized attacks intended to portray El-Sayed as less American than his opponents, drawing comparisons with false claims about Obama’s own birthplace that circulated during his political career.

“This stuff didn’t work on me,” Obama said at Saturday’s rally. “Not in Michigan. It’s not going to work on Abdul.”

The exchange underscores the national political stakes in the Michigan race, where Democrats need only a handful of seats in both chambers of Congress to overturn narrow Republican majorities.

Republicans currently control the Senate, 53-47, while the House stands at 218-214, according to the report.

With election day approaching, the contest has become a focal point for debates over immigration, national security, religious identity, and the limits of campaign rhetoric.