USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 2 June 2025Trump Demands Metal Checks For Abdul El-Sayed In Michigan Senate Race
“exposing deep divisions within the state's Arab and Jewish communities.”
“Trump accused Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Muslim Brotherhood links and demanded metal checks at a Michigan rally.”
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 alleges Abdul El-Sayed has Muslim Brotherhood ties and threatens national security implications. Campaign coverage highlights intensified rhetoric and attacks linking El-Sayed to extremism.
Trump targets El-Sayed
President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, accusing him of Muslim Brotherhood links and demanding metal checks at a rally in Port Huron, Michigan. Trump told the crowd, “Twenty-five years later, Michigan needs to stand up and fight, just like Todd did, to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol,” invoking Todd Beamer and United Airlines Flight 93.
Trump also repeated his demand that El-Sayed be subjected to additional security screening if he wins, saying, “He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go in the Senate.” Abdul El-Sayed rejected the allegations as the closely contested Senate race approached November, and he responded at a town hall in Caro, Michigan, by saying, “You’re asking the question because implicitly you assume that I’ll have dual loyalties.”
Obama defends El-Sayed
Former US president Barack Obama endorsed Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan on Saturday, defending him against attacks over his Muslim identity.
Obama spoke before more than 4,300 supporters at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, and he said, “We have seen this movie before. I starred in it.”
Obama compared the attacks on El-Sayed to false claims about his own identity and religion during his presidential campaigns in 2007 and 2011, and he added, “This stuff didn't work on me. Not in Michigan, it's not going to work for Abdul.”
Trump dismissed the rally's turnout, saying, “You know, I saw Barack Hussein Obama was in Michigan, and the place was empty,” despite reports documenting thousands of attendees.
Race splits communities
DW said Michigan's Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers exposed deep divisions within the state's Arab and Jewish communities. DW reported that many Arab voters who backed Donald Trump in 2024 as a rebuke to the Biden administration's Israel policies had reconsidered their vote and were rallying behind El-Sayed.
DW also said El-Sayed's criticism of Israel and comments called insensitive by commentators after a synagogue attack upset some Jewish voters. DW framed the contest as a referendum on Trump, with debates over Gaza, security, identity and democracy straining relationships within religious and ethnic communities whose voting blocs could help decide the outcome of the elction.