Trump Escalates Anti-Muslim Attacks on Michigan Senate Candidate at Port Huron Rally

President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks on Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday. He suggested that Christmas would be cancelled if the progressive physician wins. Trump traveled to the state to boost Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections on November 3.

Speaking to hundreds of supporters for nearly two hours, Trump made unfounded claims about El-Sayed, calling the candidate a "jihadist" and saying a "jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member" must be stopped from becoming a senator. He also said El-Sayed would be the only senator required to pass through a metal detector before entering the Senate. "I want him to have a metal detector," Trump said.

Trump falsely accused El-Sayed of wanting to bring Islamic law to the United States. "If he ever pulls that off, he should be the first one that's tried. I'll be a witness," Trump said. Some people in the crowd shouted "traitor" when El-Sayed's name came up. El-Sayed is a US-born citizen and former public health official, and there is no evidence of any membership in the Muslim Brotherhood or another foreign organisation. Trump had already targeted El-Sayed's faith in recent weeks, including by wrongly calling the candidate "Mohammed."

The rhetoric fits a longer pattern. In 2015, early in his first successful campaign, Trump backed "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," and as president he later signed a short-lived order barring travel from several Muslim-majority countries. On Sunday he warned that Democratic victories would invite "hordes of jihadists" and bring violence "until you cannot even have a Christmas." El-Sayed has mostly dismissed such attacks as distractions and says the focus should be on living costs and healthcare access.

The race matters nationally. El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers for the open seat of retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters, one of roughly seven toss-up Senate contests. Republicans hold a 53-seat majority, and a Rogers win would leave Democrats needing to flip five other seats to regain control. Only 35 seats are on the ballot this year.

Rogers appeared on stage with Trump, even though he has previously called for an end to the Iran war and criticised the tariff campaign, including the trade war with Canada. A survey by Marketing Resource Group earlier this month found only 35 percent of Michigan voters view Trump favourably. Rogers also linked El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, which the US designated a terrorist group this year, and to the Democratic Socialists of America, although El-Sayed is not a DSA member. Rogers voted in 2012 to continue US aid to Egypt under Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi.

Trump also defended the war with Iran, which the US and Israel launched on February 28. He had first said it would last four to six weeks, but it has now run nearly eight months. Michigan's average gasoline price stood at $4.83 per gallon on Sunday, up from $2.91 before the war, as Iran restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. "I made that decision, and I have no second guess," Trump said, adding that Iran had to be stopped from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran has denied seeking one.

Trump also boasted that US oil companies are making "hundreds of billions of dollars" from the crisis, saying advisers had urged him to avoid the subject because drivers are paying more. "We're making a freaking fortune," he said.

Despite his slipping popularity, the rally showed Trump can still energise his base. A line of supporters stretched several blocks, and the hockey arena was filled with people in MAGA gear who cheered throughout. The speech also included several crude remarks about the appearance of Ohio Senator Jon Husted and the rapper Nicki Minaj, who attended as a supporter, and the crowd applauded.