USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 2 June 2025Donald Trump Attacks Abdul El-Sayed in Port Huron, Suggests Metal-Detector Screening
“This year’s high-stakes Senate race in Michigan has inflamed those tensions and heightened their anxiety.”
“His papers on suicide and premature birth typify the pseudo-science he concocted”
Photo: Daniel Torok / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Trump at Port Huron accused Abdul El-Sayed of Muslim Brotherhood ties and endangering national security. He branded El-Sayed a jihadist during the Port Huron rally.
Trump targets El-Sayed
US President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on Michigan democratic senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, accusing El-Sayed of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood and questioning whether the Democratic candidate should be allowed to serve in the US Congress.
Trump said, "So Abdul… also 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," as he repeatedly referred to El-Sayed by variations of the name “Mohammed.”
Trump also suggested that El-Sayed should undergo additional security screening if elected to the US Congress, saying he would be the only senator required to pass through a metal detector before entering the chamber.
Attendees at the rally shouted “traitor” whenever El-Sayed’s name came up, and Trump said, "I’m here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator."
The Times of India framed the episode as an election test of identity attacks, while the New York Times described the race as driving anxiety among Jewish and Muslim voters in Michigan.
Vance escalates claims
Vice-president JD Vance escalated his attacks on Abdul El-Sayed at a campaign stop in Howell, Michigan, claiming El-Sayed would lead rioters in “burning down” Detroit. Vance told the crowd, "And I guarantee you, if those rioters were burning down New York, or Detroit, the Hasan Pikers and El-Sayeds would be right there leading them and cheering them on."
El-Sayed responded to the broader campaign of Islamophobic rhetoric by telling a rally, "They think that by pointing at my name and my faith, that somehow you’re going to ignore the fact that you can’t afford your gas or your groceries, can’t see a doctor." Chris Murphy, the Democratic US senator for Connecticut, wrote on X that he was watching a "cordinated [sic] campaign to delegitimatize Muslim Americans – not just as citizens but as humans," and Murphy said the attacks were a prelude to Republicans bringing the country "to a very, very dark place after the election."
What the election means
The Michigan Senate seat is critical to both parties’ efforts to control the chamber, with Republicans holding a 53-47 Senate majority heading into Tuesday’s election. The New York Times described Congregation Shaarey Zedek and Umma as sharing fear that they could be victims of hate crimes, and it said the race heightened anxiety for Jewish and Muslim voters.
The Guardian reported that Trump and his allies sought to recast demonstrations in France as evidence of dangers of immigration and the erosion of western civilization, while Vance linked El-Sayed’s politics to those protests. The Times of India said the race would help determine whether identity-based attacks on a Muslim candidate can succeed in a battleground state, and it said El-Sayed would be the nation’s first Muslim senator if he wins the November 3 election.