Trump labels El-Sayed a jihadist and says he should go through a metal detector before entering the Capitol: ‘Certainly should not give him a seat’

At a Sunday rally in Michigan, President Donald Trump targeted Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over his record. Trump argued that El-Sayed’s support for jihadists would normally lead to screening that keeps someone from boarding a plane. He said the same standard should block a seat in the Senate.

According to The Hill, Trump put it this way: “Anyone with that record of support for jihadists would be screened and unable to get a seat on an airplane. They certainly should not give him a seat in the United States Senate.” He followed up by saying El-Sayed would be the only senator required to pass through a metal detector before entering the building. “I want him to have a metal detector,” the president added.

A win would make El-Sayed the first Muslim to serve in the Senate. He faces former Representative Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate, in Michigan’s open race. On the trail, El-Sayed has drawn repeated criticism focused on his family background and faith, including earlier remarks from his mother and half-sister.

Truth Social post and debate center on alleged Brotherhood links

Ahead of the Michigan rally, Trump posted on Truth Social and called El-Sayed “a Jihadist Member of the Muslim Brotherhood.” In the same post, he said he believed the candidate wanted “our Country to go to Sharia Law.” He then added: “If it ever does, he should be the first that’s tried!”

He also wrote: “Everything he stands for is bad for our Country, which is now the “HOTTEST,” by far, anywhere in the World!”

Rogers raised similar points in the latest debate between the two candidates, even though he says he never called El-Sayed a terrorist. He highlighted political contributions El-Sayed received from people connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and claimed the Democrat “pledged his support” to the group.

El-Sayed has disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign has repeatedly denied any connection to the organization. Trump designated the group a terrorist organization last year. El-Sayed has repeatedly denied any ties to the organization and compared his situation to JFK’s.

Recent polling keeps the contest tight. A Marist survey showed El-Sayed ahead of Rogers by 2 points, a margin that falls inside the poll’s margin of error and leaves the race deadlocked. Decision Desk HQ currently gives El-Sayed a 67 percent chance of winning the battleground seat. The Cook Political Report lists the race as a “toss-up,” with both parties even on its partisan voting index.