WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — US President Donald Trump repeated his claim that Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, is a “jihadist” at his final campaign rallies on Sunday, and joked that the Senate would need a “special metal detector” for him if he wins.
Speaking in Iowa and Kansas two days before Tuesday’s midterm elections, Trump also repeated the unfounded claim that El-Sayed, a Michigan-born doctor of Egyptian descent, belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood. The line about the metal detector drew laughter from the crowd.
It is the latest in a run of attacks on El-Sayed in the closing stretch of a tight race against Republican Mike Rogers, which Muslim community leaders in Michigan say has brought the worst hostility they have seen since the September 11 attacks. Trump also went after Ilhan Omar, the Muslim Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, at both rallies.
In Iowa, Trump said he would “love” Representative Haley Stevens to switch parties. Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, has endorsed Rogers. El-Sayed has dismissed her backing of his opponent.
Trump urged supporters to vote and to “pretend I’m on the ballot”, as polls suggest a difficult night for Republicans, who are defending control of Congress for his last two years in office. The rallies had been cancelled last week before being suddenly rescheduled, and they are his last planned trips before the vote. The war with Iran, the cost of living and immigration also featured in his speeches.
