Trump dials up Islamophobia at Michigan Senate rally against Abdul El-Sayed

Al Jazeera looks at the key takeaways from the US president’s campaign event in Michigan ahead of the midterm vote.

Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers shakes hands with US President Donald Trump in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25 [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

Port Huron, Michigan – United States President Donald Trump has sharpened his anti-Muslim attacks against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, going so far as to suggest that Christmas would be cancelled if the progressive physician won.

Trump visited Michigan on Sunday to shore up support for Republican candidates in the Midwestern state ahead of the midterm elections on November 3.

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But from his podium, he levelled unfounded allegations against El-Sayed, including calling him a “jihadist”.

“He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate,” Trump said of El-Sayed.

“I want him to have a metal detector.”

The president, whose popularity has been slipping in part due to the US-Israeli war against Iran, spoke for nearly two hours to hundreds of supporters.

His remarks largely focused on Michigan’s Senate election, which is one of only about seven toss-up races for the upper chamber of Congress.

El-Sayed faces Republican candidate Mike Rogers for the state’s open Senate seat, and the race is considered crucial for Republicans to retain control of the 100-member Senate.

If Rogers wins, he would flip a seat currently held by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters, leaving Democrats with the difficult task of flipping five other seats to regain control of the chamber.

Currently, Republicans have a 53-seat majority in the Senate. Only 35 Senate positions are up for election in 2026.

Here are five key takeaways from the event.

Protesters denounce President Trump as a ‘felon’ and ‘pedophile’ at a protest outside his rally in Port Huron, Michigan [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]

Trump doubles down on anti-Muslim attacks

While Trump has repeatedly targeted El-Sayed’s Muslim identity in recent weeks, including by misrepresenting the Democrat’s name as “Mohammed”, the US president took his rhetoric to new heights on Sunday.

Throughout the speech, Trump returned to themes related to El-Sayed’s Muslim faith, falsely accusing the candidate of wanting to impose Islamic law in the US.

“So Abdul … also wants our country to go to Sharia law, and if he ever pulls that off, he should be the first one that’s tried. I’ll be a witness,” Trump said, apparently imagining El-Sayed being tried in a religious court.

Several times during the rally, some attendees blurted out “traitor” when El-Sayed’s name was mentioned.

“I’m here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” Trump said.

El-Sayed is a US-born citizen and former public health official who has pledged to uphold the Constitution. There is no evidence that he was ever a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or any foreign organisation.

Since Trump first ran for president during the 2016 election cycle, he has weaponised anti-Muslim bigotry for political gain.

In 2015, for instance — near the start of his first successful campaign — Trump said he would support “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”.

Less than two years later, Trump used the presidency to sign a short-lived executive order barring travel from multiple Muslim-majority countries, in what became known as the “Muslim ban”.

In Sunday’s speech, Trump appealed once more to fears of Muslim immigration.

“If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadists to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas,” Trump said.

El-Sayed has largely previously dismissed the anti-Muslim rhetoric against him as an attempt to create “distractions”, saying that he is focused more on domestic issues, including lowering the cost of living and expanding access to healthcare.

A demonstrator poses in front of a trailer adorned with pro-Trump slogans in Port Huron, Michigan [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]

Rogers embraces Trump

With Trump’s approval ratings plummeting, some Republican candidates in tight races have kept their distance from the president.

Rogers had previously called for an end to the Iran war and expressed reservations about Trump’s tariff campaign, calling for an end to the trade war with Canada, which borders Michigan.

But Rogers attended Sunday’s rally and took the stage alongside Trump, in a display of mutual support.

A survey by the research firm Marketing Resource Group suggested earlier this month that only 35 percent of voters in Michigan view Trump positively.

Rogers set the tone for the anti-Muslim attacks against El-Sayed earlier in the rally, claiming that El-Sayed is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, a political movement in Egypt that was designated as a “terrorist” group by the US this year.

As a congressman, however, Rogers voted in 2012 to continue US aid to Egypt under Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi.

In Sunday’s speech, Rogers also tried to paint El-Sayed as part of the Democratic Socialists for America (DSA), but unlike other progressives, El-Sayed is not a member of the left-wing group.

“This DSA-affiliated candidate is also taking a lot of money from organizations that support the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Hezbollah,” Rogers said.

All three groups are designated as “terrorist” organisations in the US, making it illegal to provide any material support to them.

A crowd of supporters in the McMorran Place hockey arena cheers for Trump on October 25 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]

Trump unapologetic about Iran

On Sunday, the average price of one gallon of gasoline in Michigan was $4.83, up from $2.91 before the start of the war with Iran.

Tehran has restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the war, sending energy prices soaring.

Trump initially promised that the conflict would only last four to six weeks.

But nearly eight months after the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, the conflict is showing no signs of concluding.

On Sunday, Trump said he has no regrets about the war.

“I made that decision, and I have no second guess,” Trump told the crowd.

He added that he thought gas prices would have increased by much more than they had. He also defended his decision by referencing the threat of nuclear warfare.

“The number one state sponsor of terror is Iran by far, and we had to make sure they didn’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

But Iran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon. It has long argued its uranium enrichment programme is for civilian energy production.

Before the war, Trump also argued that US strikes against Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities in June 2025 had completely “obliterated” the country’s nuclear programme.

‘We’re making a freaking fortune’

Despite the economic anxiety related to the price of living and skyrocketing gas prices, Trump bragged about the amount of profits that US oil companies are making from the war.

Demand for energy products has increased globally in recent months, as supply chains tighten.

“Our country is making hundreds of billions of dollars because of what’s happened in the Middle East because they’re coming to Texas, and they’re coming to Oklahoma, and they’re coming to Louisiana, and they’re taking that oil,” Trump said. “They’re making hundreds of billions of dollars.”

Trump added that his advisers asked him not to bring up this issue because “people are paying a little higher” for gas.

“I could just see the fake headline: ‘President Trump is talking about all the money they’re making while people are suffering at the pump.’ That’ll be the headline. I said, ‘I don’t give a damn. I’m going to say it. We’re making a freaking fortune,'” the US president said.

Recording artist Nicki Minaj and US President Donald Trump embrace at a rally in Port Huron, Michigan [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

Trump can still mobilise Republican base

A line of Trump supporters stretched several blocks outside the rally on Sunday.

Attendees, dressed in “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) gear, filled the hockey arena where Trump spoke.

The crowd roared and laughed with Trump, with attendees frequently blurting out expressions of admiration for the president and insults against his opponents, especially El-Sayed.

Trump may appear politically on the back foot amid dwindling popularity and mounting anger over inflation and the Iran war.

But the US president has highlighted his continued ability to mobilise his core MAGA base, often pointing to his crowd size as a metric for his success as a campaigner.

The audience remained engaged and seated throughout the speech on Sunday.

At one point, the address took a bizarre turn, as the US president spoke about the backside of Jon Husted, a Republican incumbent from Ohio who is competing in another tight Senate race.

“I looked at his a**, and I’ve never done that with a man before. Women? Yes. Men? No,” Trump said.

The US president also complimented the derriere of the rapper Nicki Minaj, one of his prominent supporters who was in attendance.

“By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before: Nicki Minaj. That’s hard to miss,” Trump said.

半岛电视台分析了美国总统在密歇根州中期选举前夕的竞选活动的主要内容。

10月25日，共和党参议员候选人迈克·罗杰斯在密歇根州休伦港与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普握手。[乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社]

密歇根州休伦港——美国总统唐纳德·特朗普加大了对民主党参议员候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德的反穆斯林攻击力度，甚至暗示如果这位进步派医生获胜，圣诞节将被取消。

特朗普周日访问密歇根州，旨在为共和党候选人在该中西部州的选举争取支持，中期选举将于11月3日举行。

（共 3 项，第 1 项）自上次美国大选以来，民主党的政策发生了哪些变化？

奥巴马抨击特朗普的“残忍和腐败”，并向民主党人发表讲话（共3条，此为第2条）

列表 3/3：美国司法部长托德·布兰奇为阿拉斯加州参议院选举诉讼辩护

但他站在讲台上，对埃尔-赛义德提出了毫无根据的指控，包括称他为“圣战分子”。

特朗普谈到埃尔-赛义德时说：“他将是唯一一位在进入参议院之前必须通过金属探测器的参议员。”

“我希望他能配备金属探测器。”

由于美以对伊朗发动战争，总统的支持率有所下滑。他向数百名支持者发表了近两个小时的讲话。

他的讲话主要集中在密歇根州的参议院选举上，这是国会上院仅有的七场势均力敌的选举之一。

埃尔-赛义德将与共和党候选人迈克·罗杰斯争夺该州空缺的参议院席位，这场选举对于共和党能否保住拥有 100 个席位的参议院的控制权至关重要。

如果罗杰斯获胜，他将赢得目前由即将退休的民主党参议员加里·彼得斯占据的席位，这将使民主党人面临赢得其他五个席位才能重新控制参议院的艰巨任务。

目前，共和党在参议院拥有53个席位的多数优势。2026年只有35个参议院席位需要改选。

以下是本次活动的五个主要收获。

在密歇根州休伦港，抗议者在特朗普总统的竞选集会外谴责他是“重罪犯”和“恋童癖”。[阿里·哈布/半岛电视台]

特朗普加倍发动反穆斯林袭击

虽然特朗普最近几周反复攻击埃尔-赛义德的穆斯林身份，甚至将这位民主党候选人的名字错误地写成“穆罕默德”，但这位美国总统在周日将他的言论提升到了新的高度。

在演讲过程中，特朗普反复提及与埃尔-赛义德的穆斯林信仰相关的话题，错误地指责这位候选人想要在美国推行伊斯兰教法。

“所以阿卜杜勒……也想让我们的国家实行伊斯兰教法，如果他真这么做了，他应该是第一个被审判的人。我会作证，”特朗普说道，显然他想象着赛义德在宗教法庭受审的情景。

在集会期间，当提到埃尔-赛义德的名字时，一些与会者多次脱口而出“叛徒”。

“我来这里是为了阻止一名圣战主义穆斯林兄弟会成员成为美国参议员，”特朗普说。

埃尔-赛义德是美国公民，曾任公共卫生官员，他已宣誓维护宪法。没有任何证据表明他曾是穆斯林兄弟会或任何外国组织的成员。

自特朗普在 2016 年总统选举周期首次竞选总统以来，他就一直利用反穆斯林偏见来谋取政治利益。

例如，在 2015 年——在他第一次成功竞选的初期——特朗普表示，他将支持“彻底禁止穆斯林进入美国”。

不到两年后，特朗普利用总统职位签署了一项短暂的行政命令，禁止来自多个穆斯林占多数国家的旅客入境，这就是后来被称为“穆斯林禁令”的政策。

在周日的演讲中，特朗普再次利用了人们对穆斯林移民的恐惧。

特朗普说：“如果阿卜杜勒和民主党人获胜，他们将打开闸门，邀请大批圣战分子来到我们的海岸，制造暴力和恐怖的噩梦，让你们连圣诞节都过不去。”

此前，埃尔-赛义德大多对针对他的反穆斯林言论不屑一顾，认为这是试图制造“干扰”，并表示他更关注国内问题，包括降低生活成本和扩大医疗保健覆盖范围。

在密歇根州休伦港，一名示威者在一辆装饰着支持特朗普标语的拖车前摆姿势拍照。[阿里·哈布/半岛电视台]

罗杰斯拥抱特朗普

随着特朗普的支持率暴跌，一些选情胶着的共和党候选人与总统保持了距离。

罗杰斯此前曾呼吁结束伊朗战争，并对特朗普的关税政策表示保留意见，呼吁结束与密歇根州接壤的加拿大之间的贸易战。

但罗杰斯出席了周日的集会，并与特朗普一同登台，以示相互支持。

市场调研公司Marketing Resource Group本月早些时候的一项调查显示，密歇根州只有35%的选民对特朗普持积极态度。

在集会早些时候，罗杰斯为针对埃尔-赛义德的反穆斯林攻击定下了基调，他声称埃尔-赛义德与穆斯林兄弟会有关联，穆斯林兄弟会是埃及的一个政治运动，今年被美国认定为“恐怖组织”。

然而，作为一名国会议员，罗杰斯在 2012 年投票支持继续向穆斯林兄弟会总统穆罕默德·穆尔西领导下的埃及提供美国援助。

在周日的演讲中，罗杰斯还试图将埃尔-赛义德描绘成美国民主社会主义者（DSA）的一员，但与其他进步人士不同，埃尔-赛义德并不是这个左翼团体的成员。

罗杰斯说：“这位与民主社会主义者协会有关联的候选人还从支持穆斯林兄弟会、哈马斯和真主党的组织那里获得了大量资金。”

这三个组织在美国都被认定为“恐怖组织”，因此向它们提供任何物质支持都是非法的。

10月25日，一群支持者在麦克莫兰体育馆冰球馆为特朗普欢呼。[阿里·哈布/半岛电视台]

特朗普对伊朗问题毫无悔意

周日，密歇根州每加仑汽油的平均价格为 4.83 美元，高于伊朗战争爆发前的 2.91 美元。

为应对战争，德黑兰限制了霍尔木兹海峡的通行，导致能源价格飙升。

特朗普最初承诺，这场冲突只会持续四到六周。

但自美国和以色列于 2 月 28 日发动战争以来，近八个月过去了，这场冲突仍未显示出结束的迹象。

周日，特朗普表示他对这场战争没有任何后悔。

“我做出了这个决定，我毫不后悔，”特朗普对人群说道。

他还补充说，他认为汽油价格的涨幅会比现在大得多。他还以核战争的威胁为由，为自己的决定辩护。

特朗普说：“伊朗是头号恐怖主义国家赞助者，我们必须确保他们没有核武器。”

但伊朗否认寻求发展核武器。伊朗长期以来一直辩称，其铀浓缩计划是为了民用能源生产。

在战争爆发前，特朗普还声称，美国在 2025 年 6 月对伊朗铀浓缩设施的打击已经彻底“摧毁”了该国的核计划。

“我们赚翻了！”

尽管生活成本上涨和汽油价格飙升引发了经济焦虑，特朗普仍然吹嘘美国石油公司从战争中获得了巨额利润。

近几个月来，随着供应链趋紧，全球对能源产品的需求有所增加。

“由于中东发生的事情，我们国家正在赚取数千亿美元，因为他们来到德克萨斯州，来到俄克拉荷马州，来到路易斯安那州，掠夺那里的石油，”特朗普说。“他们正在赚取数千亿美元。”

特朗普补充说，他的顾问要求他不要提起这个问题，因为“人们现在要为汽油支付更高的价格”。

“我当时就想象到那条假新闻标题：‘特朗普总统在谈论他们赚了多少钱，而民众却在油价高企时苦苦挣扎。’肯定会是这样的标题。我说，‘我才不在乎。我就是要这么说。我们赚得盆满钵满，’”这位美国总统说道。

歌手妮琪·米娜和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在密歇根州休伦港的一次集会上拥抱。[乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社]

特朗普仍然可以动员共和党的基本盘。

周日，特朗普的支持者们在集会现场外排起了长队，绵延好几个街区。

身着“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）服装的与会者挤满了特朗普发表演讲的冰球馆。

人群为特朗普欢呼大笑，与会者不时脱口而出对总统的钦佩之情，并侮辱他的对手，尤其是埃尔-赛义德。

由于支持率下降以及民众对通货膨胀和伊朗战争的愤怒情绪日益高涨，特朗普在政治上可能显得处于劣势。

但美国总统强调了他持续动员其核心“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）支持者的能力，并经常以集会规模作为衡量其竞选成功与否的标准。

周日的演讲过程中，听众全程保持专注并就座。

演讲过程中，一度出现了离奇的转折，美国总统谈到了俄亥俄州共和党现任参议员乔恩·赫斯特的臀部，赫斯特正在参加另一场激烈的参议院竞选。

“我看了他的屁股，我以前从来没对男人这样做过。女人？是的。男人？没有，”特朗普说。

美国总统还称赞了说唱歌手妮琪·米娜的臀部，妮琪·米娜是他的一位重要支持者，当时也在场。

“顺便说一句，我之前看到了一个非常漂亮的屁股：妮琪·米娜。这很难让人忽略，”特朗普说道。