Donald Trump faces backlash over verbal attacks on candidate Abdul El Sayed

President Donald Trump is facing widespread backlash after invoking the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks during a rally in Michigan to criticize Abdul El Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate. The BBC, NPR, and Reuters report that Donald Trump escalated anti Muslim rhetoric against Abdul El Sayed on Sunday, portraying the candidate as a threat to national security and questioning his loyalty to the United States. [1][4][6][8][9]

The Hill reports that Donald Trump called Abdul El Sayed a jihadist and suggested that he should have to pass through a metal detector to enter the Senate building. Donald Trump claimed that anyone with that record of support for jihadists would be screened and unable to get a seat on an airplane. The Washington Post also reported that Donald Trump used the term jihadist during his rally speech. [3][10]

Abdul El Sayed fired back at the comments, telling supporters that Donald Trump has as much regard for the Constitution as a piece of toilet paper, according to reports from The Hill and Yahoo News Canada. Abdul El Sayed added that Donald Trump will be referring to him as Senator Mohamed if he wins the election in November. Senator Bernie Sanders and a key 2024 supporter of Donald Trump have also criticized the remarks, the BBC reported. [1][2][5][11]

Opponents have attempted to link Abdul El Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization founded in Egypt, the BBC reported. The scrutiny stems in part from a 2012 social media post by his half sister, Eman Abdelhadi, though the campaign team for Abdul El Sayed has previously distanced him from her comments. Abdul El Sayed is seeking to become the first Muslim senator in United States history, according to The Hill. [1][4]