President Trump unleashed a vociferous, anti-Muslim attack against Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Michigan U.S. Senate candidate, calling him a “jihadist … on the side of terrorists” who “would have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate.”
Moreover, during his vitriolic comments on October 24 in Port Huron, Mich., Trump repeatedly compared El-Sayed to the 9/11 terrorists. El-Sayed sharply rebuked all of the comments, calling them “shameful” and denying any association with terrorist groups.
At a rally later in Grand Rapids, about three hours away, El-Sayed took exception to Trump’s mocking and mispronouncing his name, but had a curt response: “I don’t even care that he remembers my whole name because he can just go on and call me ‘Senator’ after November,” which drew cheers. “I will be Senator Muhammad to you, bro.”
Former President Barack Obama, who has weighed full-throated into the campaign to support El-Sayed, addressed the crowd, but did not speak directly about Trump’s racist remarks. He framed the upcoming midterms as a “circuit breaker” to “at least rein in some of the foolishness” of Trump’s presidency.
We certainly are alarmed, but hardly surprised, by Trump’s outrageous racism, and his attack on El-Sayed is just the latest iteration. His statements are inflammatory and absolutely uncalled for as we struggle to maintain a sense of dignity and democracy in America.
Trump’s attack on El-Sayed is an indication of how fearful and troubled he is about losing the Senate, and Michigan is a key battleground state. In our condemnation of Trump, we also fully support Obama’s stand and reject what the president had to say about him: On a Truth Social post Sunday morning, Trump called Obama “a grossly incompetent President,” while labeling El-Sayed as a “Muslim Brotherhood Jihadist, who hates Jews and Blacks and AMERICANS and TRUMP.”
As you can see, Trump is on steroids when it comes to bashing Obama and assailing El-Sayed. These negative comments are gradually becoming part and parcel of backlash against Trump, even from voters who supported him in the last election.
Millions of early voters have already turned out, unlike during recent midterm elections, and while we may not experience a blue tsunami, there is every indication that the American populace does not approve of the current administration and its policies. We are counting on you all to vote like your life depends on it, because this time, it certainly does.
