Trump attacks Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at Michigan campaign rally

US President Donald Trump attacked Abdul El-Sayed at a campaign rally in Michigan, according to Anadolu and the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

El-Sayed is the Democratic candidate for a US Senate seat in Michigan. His opponent is Republican Mike Rogers. Al Jazeera and SCMP reported that the race could help determine control of the US Senate. The US midterm elections are about a week away.

This was not Trump's first attack on El-Sayed. Al Jazeera described it as "another" attack. SCMP reported that Trump has previously sought to portray El-Sayed as an extremist.

The rally

According to SCMP, the rally took place on Sunday in Port Huron, Michigan. SCMP quoted Trump as saying: "I’m here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,"

SCMP also reported that Trump compared El-Sayed to the attackers who took over United Flight 93 during the attacks of 11 September 2001. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include Trump's exact words in that comparison. According to SCMP, Trump also said Democrats would let violent anti-American terrorists into the United States.

SCMP described the audience as receptive. It reported that the remarks took Trump's rhetoric about El-Sayed "to a new level" and described them as a push to link him to Muslim extremists. Al Jazeera characterized the remarks as anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The race

According to SCMP, the Senate seat is open, and Rogers is a former US Representative. SCMP reported that El-Sayed would be the first Muslim elected to the US Senate if he wins. It gave the election date as 3 November.

What each side says

• Donald Trump: He called El-Sayed a "jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member" and said he came to the rally to stop El-Sayed from becoming a senator, according to SCMP. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe any evidence Trump offered for these allegations.
• Abdul El-Sayed: The reports do not include any response from El-Sayed or his campaign.
• Mike Rogers: The reports do not include any comment from Rogers or his campaign on Trump's remarks.

What the reports do not include

The reports do not include polling or other data on the state of the race. Anadolu's item consists only of a headline, and Al Jazeera's report is brief. Detailed accounts of what was said at the rally come from a single outlet, SCMP.

Analysis

The remarks place a sitting president's allegations, reported without supporting evidence, at the centre of a Senate race that outlets say could affect control of the chamber. Several outcomes are possible. The rhetoric could energise some voters on either side, or have little measurable effect; the reports reviewed include no polling to assess this. Responses from El-Sayed and Rogers, which the reports do not include, may shape how the remarks are received in the final days of the campaign. Further reporting from additional outlets would help confirm the details of the rally, which currently rest largely on one account.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.