President Donald Trump escalated his anti-Muslim rhetoric against Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed during a Sunday campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, comparing the candidate to the 9/11 attackers and demanding he submit to metal detectors if elected ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
The campaign stop brought together President Donald Trump and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers at the McMorran Place Sports and Entertainment Center on October 25, 2026. Trump spent a considerable share of his address attacking El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official locked in a tight race to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.
Escalated Rhetoric and 9/11 Comparisons in Port Huron
Trump told the crowd of about 4,000 supporters that his mission in Michigan was to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator. He went on to invoke the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, drawing a parallel between stopping El-Sayed from entering the Senate and the passengers who resisted hijackers aboard United Flight 93.
To emphasize the comparison, Trump invited David Beamer to the stage. Beamer’s son, Todd Beamer, was a Michigan native who died on the flight.
Twenty-five years later, Michigan needs to stand up and fight just like Todd did, to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol.
President Donald Trump, via WXYZ 7 News Detroit
Trump further remarked that El-Sayed would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate. Beyond his remarks on El-Sayed, Trump disparaged Jewish voters supporting the Democrat, telling them they should be ashamed, while also claiming without evidence that he is polling at 99 percent in Israel.
The president delivered his remarks before an audience in a city north of Detroit, located in a region where 66 percent of the vote went to Trump in the 2024 presidential election. The event also featured Michigan Republican candidate for governor, Congressman John James, who appeared alongside Trump to urge voters to support GOP candidates.
Earlier in the event, Rogers set the tone for the attacks by claiming El-Sayed was connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. At the same time, Rogers has previously faced scrutiny regarding the group, having voted in 2012 as a congressman to continue U.S. aid to Egypt and having stated that year that some moderate members of the organization might require cautious engagement.
The rally also featured an appearance by rapper Nicki Minaj, whom Trump commended from the stage while remarking on her presence.
El-Sayed and Allies Respond to Attacks
El-Sayed, who would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected, has repeatedly denied any ties to extremist groups and called questions regarding his loyalty shameful. Speaking at a rally in Grand Rapids later on Sunday, El-Sayed brushed off Trump’s deliberate mispronunciation and distortion of his name, pointing out that Trump and his family have engaged in financial dealings with Muslim entities, including Saudi investments in Jared Kushner’s private-equity firm, Affinity Partners, and Qatar’s provision of a jet.
I don’t even care that he remembers my whole name because he can just go on and call me ‘senator’ after November.
Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Senate candidate
Former President Barack Obama joined El-Sayed and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson at a Detroit rally over the weekend. Obama praised the potential partnership between El-Sayed and Elissa Slotkin, calling them a powerful duo composed of a Muslim man and a Jewish woman fighting in the Senate.
At the same Grand Rapids event, Senator Bernie Sanders said Trump and his allies were using Islamophobia because they had nothing to say about working-class issues such as health care, housing, and income inequality.
At the same Grand Rapids event, El-Sayed spoke about Trump and his allies.
Republicans Tie El-Sayed to Muslim Brotherhood
The Republican strategy in the final weeks has relied heavily on attempting to tie El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic movement founded in Egypt in 1928 and designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. El-Sayed has denounced the group and denied any affiliation, going viral the previous week after a heated interaction at a Caro town hall where he told an attendee that assuming allegiance based on his faith ignores his commitment to the Constitution.
The contentious rhetoric arrives as Michigan’s Senate race remains fiercely contested, with the state functioning as a competitive battleground that Trump secured by a 1.4 percentage point margin in the 2024 presidential race.
- Polling conducted earlier this month by Marketing Resource Group indicated that just 35 percent of Michigan voters hold a favorable opinion of Trump.
What Remains Unresolved Before November 3
With voting concluding on November 3, 2026, neither Rogers nor El-Sayed’s campaign has signaled any shift in strategy following the weekend escalations. Rogers appeared on stage alongside Trump in Port Huron to project unity.