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

United States President Donald Trump sharpened his anti-Muslim attacks against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, going so far as to suggest that Christmas would be cancelled if the progressive doctor won the election. The high-stakes event on Sunday aimed to shore up support for Republican candidates in the Midwestern state ahead of the midterm elections on November 3. This escalation comes as Republicans defend their position over inflation, soaring fuel prices, and the ongoing war on Iran, turning what was once a traditional stump speech into an incendiary national security crusade that has drawn fierce condemnation even from former Arab American allies.

Speaking for nearly two hours inside a packed hockey arena, Trump levelled unfounded allegations from his podium against El-Sayed, calling him a "jihadist" and asserting that the candidate would "have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate." According to The Guardian, Trump repeatedly invoked the September 11 terrorist attacks, drawing a comparison between stopping El-Sayed from entering the Senate chamber and the passengers who fought back against the hijackers aboard United Flight 93. Throughout the address, attendees occasionally blurted out "traitor" whenever El-Sayed's name was mentioned.

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El-Sayed faces Republican candidate Mike Rogers for the state’s open Senate seat, a contest crucial for Republicans seeking to retain control of the upper chamber of Congress. If Rogers wins, he would flip a seat currently held by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters, leaving Democrats with the difficult task of flipping five other seats to regain control. Currently, Republicans hold a 53-seat majority, with only 35 Senate positions up for election.

The Republican strategy against El-Sayed has heavily relied on attempting to link him to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic movement with branches designated as terrorist organisations by the US government. Rogers set the tone during the rally by claiming El-Sayed is connected to the group, stating that the movement celebrated a victory in the primary. However, El-Sayed is a US-born citizen and former public health official who has pledged to uphold the Constitution. There is no verified evidence that he was ever a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or any foreign organisation.

The anti-Muslim rhetoric quickly triggered a backlash from key constituencies. Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump, the group that led outreach to Arab American voters in the 2024 presidential election, condemned the president's remarks in a phone interview. The president's statements are out of line, Bahbah said, adding, They are crossing a red line. They are racist. Bahbah noted that his organisation has since changed its name to Arab Americans for Peace and warned that voters will remember the remarks.

Dearborn helped Trump win Michigan in 2024 after many voters in the city were outraged by the Biden administration's handling of the war in Gaza. Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate since 2000 to win Dearborn, which boasts one of the nation's largest concentrations of Arab Americans. Yet Sunday's remarks threaten to fracture that fragile coalition. The president of the United States saying that about a person because of his religion, that is just not acceptable, Bahbah stated, noting that the comments alienated Christian Arabs and other community members alike.

El-Sayed addressed the rhetoric during a rally in Grand Rapids later on Sunday. Responding to Trump's frequent misrepresentation of his name, El-Sayed told supporters that he does not care how the president pronounces it. I don't even care that he remembers my whole name because he can just go on and call me 'senator' after November, El-Sayed said to cheers, adding, I will be Senator Muhammad to you, bro. Sen. Bernie Sanders, speaking alongside El-Sayed in Grand Rapids, argued that Trump and his allies resort to Islamophobia because they have nothing substantive to offer working families on issues such as healthcare, housing, and income inequality.

The rally also featured economic anxieties tied to the ongoing conflict in Iran. Trump defended the nearly eight-month-old war, which began on February 28, after initial promises that it would conclude within weeks. Tehran's restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz have sent energy prices soaring. In Michigan, the average price of petrol reached $4.83 per gallon on Sunday, marking a significant increase from $2.91 prior to the war.

Despite voter suffering at the pump, Trump boasted about the immense profits generated by US oil companies from the crisis. Our country is making hundreds of billions of dollars because of what’s happened in the Middle East, Trump told the crowd, dismissing warnings from his advisers that discussing oil profits would look insensitive while voters grapple with inflation. Meanwhile, domestic policy shifts continue to impact vulnerable Americans; federal data highlights that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment dropped from 41.6 million in July 2025 to 36.5 million in June 2026 following administrative restrictions.

The campaign event also took several unconventional turns. Alongside his attacks on El-Sayed, Trump engaged in lengthy commentary on the physical appearances of political allies and supporters. After praising the physique of Republican Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted, who is competing in another tight race, Trump turned his attention to rapper Nicki Minaj, who was present to endorse the Republican ticket. Trump drew national attention by commenting on Minaj's posterior before gesturing for her to stand for the audience.

As the campaign enters its final week, world coverage notes that other high-profile political developments are unfolding concurrently, including a car crash involving Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and a pre-emptive Justice Department lawsuit in Alaska over ballot name confusion. Voters in Michigan and across the nation will head to the polls on November 3, 2026, to settle the control of Congress and test the political durability of Trump's polarizing campaign strategy.

What to Watch Next

• November 3, 2026: Midterm elections take place nationwide, determining control of the US Senate and House of Representatives.
• Post-Election Fallout: Monitoring how Arab American voter turnout shifts in Dearborn and surrounding Michigan communities in the wake of Trump's rhetoric and the Arab Americans for Peace response.
• Energy Markets: Tracking petrol prices in Michigan and developments in the Strait of Hormuz as the conflict involving Iran approaches its ninth month.