Trump claims Democrat win would invite jihadis, targeting Muslim Senate nominee

A rally in a deep-red district

Donald Trump addressed more than 4,000 supporters on Sunday, 25 October, in Port Huron, a working-class waterfront city about 60 miles northeast of Detroit. The city sits in a conservative congressional district, and the stop followed rallies in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. The audience appeared enthusiastic, and thousands tried to capture him as he reached the stage. The event fell nine days before the midterm elections, in a Senate race that remains close.

He warned the crowd about what a Democratic victory would bring:

“If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadis to our shores”

Attacks on El-Sayed's faith

Trump's target was Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee, a Muslim born in the United States to a family that immigrated from Egypt. Trump called him a 'jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member' and offered no evidence for the claim. He portrayed El-Sayed as sympathetic to Islamic extremism and warned of a nightmare of violence and terror that would stretch into the holiday season. Trump then set him against Republican nominee Mike Rogers, who is 63, white and also born in the United States, calling Rogers 'apple pie' and 'central casting'. The remarks fit a closing pitch that Trump and his allies have built on dark themes and personal vilification.

Divisions among Arab and Jewish voters

Many Arab voters who backed Trump in 2024, as a protest against the Biden administration's approach to Israel, have since changed course and are rallying behind El-Sayed, while others are backing Rogers. El-Sayed is a physician and public health expert close to progressives, and he could become the first Muslim senator in a key state. Some Jewish voters have been upset by his criticism of Israel and by comments, called insensitive by commentators, made after a synagogue attack. The conflict in the Middle East has become a touchstone in the Democratic debate in Michigan, particularly among the state's large Arab American and Jewish communities. Debates over Gaza, security, identity and democracy are straining ties within both communities.

Stakes for the midterms

The race is being framed as a referendum on Trump, and the small but influential voting blocs in both communities could help decide the outcome. Polls show deep dissatisfaction with the president, and pollsters believe Michigan is swinging back toward Democrats. The rally was held in a conservative district of that state, which raises the question of whether Trump's presence helps or hurts Republican turnout. The Port Huron stop was one of several rallies in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida before the vote. The midterm elections are nine days after the rally, and the outcome of the Senate race is still open.