Trump Misnames Michigan Senate Candidate El-Sayed, Calls Him "Terrorist Sympathizer"

President Donald Trump misnamed Muslim candidate for the U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed as "Mohammed" on Thursday, baselessly accusing him of being a "Terrorist Sympathiser."

El-Sayed, running for a Michigan Senate seat, responded on X, stating, "He knows my name is Abdul" and accused Trump of using his name and faith to distract from his policies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer denounced Trump’s attack as bigoted bulls‑‑‑. Trump's post was part of several attacking Democrats. El-Sayed's full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, but he does not use Mohamed publicly.

Trump and his supporters have accused El-Sayed and his family of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda. Campaign finance records show El-Sayed has received thousands of dollars in donations from individuals linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, including the former spokesman for its official political party in Egypt. El-Sayed's father and father-in-law have served on the board of Life for Relief and Development, a charity whose CEO was listed in a 1992 directory of U.S.-based Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

El-Sayed declined to say whether he supports U.S. terror designations for Muslim Brotherhood chapters in a recent Fox News interview. Fox News Media president Jay Wallace defended the network's interview with El-Sayed after Trump publicly criticized it as softball and accused Fox of promoting the Dumocrats. White House officials had also called Fox to complain.

Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign alongside El-Sayed in Detroit on October 24, despite El-Sayed having previously criticized Obama's presidency as a failure that left the country no better off. El-Sayed is a progressive candidate facing Republican Mike Rogers, with the Michigan Senate seat considered essential to Democratic hopes of regaining the Senate. El-Sayed's platform includes healthcare for all, higher taxes on billionaires, and ending unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel.