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Trump calls Michigan Democratic Senate candidate El-Sayed a jihadist at a rally

Trump also called Abdul El-Sayed a Muslim Brotherhood member, which El-Sayed has repeatedly denied. NBC reports Trump offered no evidence for his claims.

55 news outlets reported this
Liberal22 outletsCenter13 outletsConservative20 outlets
Published 3 min read
Overview

President Donald Trump rallied in Port Huron, Michigan, for Republican candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 elections. NBC News and CBS News date the rally Sunday. Axios says Monday.

He backed Mike Rogers, a former congressman and the nominee. Rogers faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official, for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Trump called El-Sayed a "jihadist" and a Muslim Brotherhood member.

El-Sayed has repeatedly denied ties to the group, and NBC reports Trump offered no evidence. Trump also said El-Sayed would have to go through a metal detector before entering the Senate. If elected, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim senator.

Former President Barack Obama rallied for Michigan Democrats the day before. Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared with El-Sayed in Grand Rapids on Sunday. On NBC's "Meet the Press,"

Rogers said he has never called El-Sayed a terrorist. A Michigan State University poll released Monday put El-Sayed ahead 48% to 44%, per HuffPost. Left and center outlets describe Trump's remarks as Islamophobic or anti-Muslim.

A White House spokesperson told Axios Trump is calling out "radical extremists."

Three sides of the story

Liberal22 outlets

Left-leaning outlets put Trump's remarks at the center and describe them as Islamophobic or anti-Muslim. NBC says Trump offered no evidence, quotes David Beamer comparing the race to 9/11 and calling El-Sayed "anti-American," and recalls Trump's earlier birther claims about Obama. CBS gives space to Democratic responses: Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel called the Republicans' backing of Trump an endorsement of a "toxic agenda," and Sanders said Trump and allies have "nothing to say" on health care and housing.

CBS also notes El-Sayed told a questioner he would "absolutely" disavow the Brotherhood. HuffPost adds remarks by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about Arabs, comments from Dawud Walid of CAIR Michigan, and Rogers's statement that his criticism is not about Islam. It also cites the MSU poll.

NPR reports Trump portrayed El-Sayed as a national security threat and questioned his loyalty.

Center13 outlets

Centrist outlets frame the rally within the final stretch of the midterm campaign. Axios reports Trump escalated anti-Muslim rhetoric, quotes his metal detector remark, and says his sharia law claim was baseless. It weighs possible effects: Republican consultant Dennis Darnoi says the rhetoric "doesn't really move the needle," while Haris Tarin of the Muslim Public Affairs Council says it will have "an opposite effect."

Axios also includes a White House spokesperson's statement about "radical extremists" and poll numbers. BBC treats the race as a tight contest Democrats need to win, citing Trump's low approval, and its North America editor asked El-Sayed why he trails other Democrats. The Hill's Memo reports El-Sayed allies expect the attacks to backfire.

Another Hill piece reports Haley Stevens's fiance, Jason Turkish, said he would vote for Rogers and accused El-Sayed of antisemitic language.

Conservative20 outlets

Right-leaning outlets give less space to the rally's wording and more to El-Sayed's campaign and Democratic infighting. The Daily Wire reports undercover video, obtained by the Midwesterner, in which El-Sayed staffer T.J. Wolfgram calls Americans "idiots" over Brotherhood scrutiny and says he has no issue with the group. It cites a 2012 letter El-Sayed signed backing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, which he declined to discuss, and Wolfgram's comments on for All taxes.

Fox News reports Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the primary to El-Sayed, said she is "on the team" without explicitly endorsing him, and that progressives criticized her. A Fox News roundup notes Trump escalating attacks as the race tightens and Rogers telling a journalist "You're giving him a pass." The Washington Times reports El-Sayed fired back by telling Trump to call him "Senator Mohamed."

Where outlets disagree
  • Which day Trump held the Port Huron rally
    • NBC News: Trump rallied in Port Huron on Sunday.
    • Axios: Trump's rally appearance in Michigan was on Monday.
All sources: 267 articles from 55 outlets

Liberal (96)

Center (55)

Conservative (116)

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