# Trump Calls Muslim Senate Candidate a 'Jihadist' Before Election

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/trump-calls-muslim-senate-candidate-a-jihadist-before-election
- Published: 2026-10-30T19:06:48.507141+00:00
- Topics: islamophobia, midterm-elections, immigration, trump, michigan-senate-race

## What the left says
- The attacks rely on baseless claims of Muslim Brotherhood ties and sharia law that El-Sayed has repeatedly denied and that no evidence supports, amounting to fearmongering rather than policy debate.
- Trump's rhetoric fits a broader pattern of targeting Muslim and Somali American communities and officials, including the unprecedented denaturalization investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar.
- Muslim advocacy groups argue the strategy substitutes bigotry for substantive debate because Republicans lack a competitive policy message to run on.
- Invoking 9/11 imagery and Todd Beamer's father to link a Rhodes scholar and public health official to terrorism is seen as a deliberate attempt to dehumanize a candidate based on his faith.

## What the right says
- The White House frames the comments as calling out radical extremism and holding a candidate accountable, not as attacks on Islam or Muslims broadly.
- Republicans see legitimate security and ideological concerns as fair game in a closely contested Senate race that could determine control of the chamber.
- Highlighting a candidate's past associations and statements is viewed as standard political opposition research rather than discrimination.
- A Rogers win would flip a Michigan Senate seat held by Democrats for two decades, raising the stakes enough to justify an aggressive closing message.

## Common ground
- Trump called Abdul El-Sayed a 'jihadist' and claimed ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, allegations El-Sayed denies and that remain unproven.
- The Michigan Senate race between El-Sayed and Mike Rogers is extremely close and could help decide control of the Senate.
- Polling shows a majority of Michigan voters say a candidate's Muslim faith makes no difference to their vote.
- Both sides recognize the rhetoric could mobilize certain voters while alienating others, making its electoral impact uncertain.

## Sources
- [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/27/trump-abdul-el-sayed-muslim-faith-midterm-campaign) (Lean Left)
- [HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anti-muslim-sentiment-in-michigan-sen_n_6ae10c6ae4b059999c635c07) (Left)
- [The Nation](https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/ilhan-omar-trump-denaturalization/) (Left)
- [The Nation](https://www.thenation.com/article/society/pierre-damas-bel-tps-warning/) (Left)

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