Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for a Senate seat in Michigan, became the target of sharp political criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump labeled the Democratic candidate a “radical extremist” and a “terrorist sympathizer.”
Trump argued that El-Sayed’s values were incompatible with those of the people of Michigan and the United States. He also claimed that the candidate had “returned to the days of jihad.”
Trump also mentioned left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker in his post, linking El-Sayed to Piker and accusing Piker of being anti-American. Trump declared his “full and complete support” for Republican candidate Mike Rogers and said Rogers would not disappoint voters.
El-Sayed’s political background
El-Sayed, a physician, previously served as director of health for Wayne County. He won the Democratic Senate nomination in August, defeating Representative Haley Stevens in a closely contested primary.
El-Sayed ran for governor of Michigan in 2018 but was not elected. Backed by Senator Bernie Sanders, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate if elected.
The Senate race in Michigan
In the midterm elections on November 3, El-Sayed will face former congressman Mike Rogers for the seat of Democratic Senator Gary Peters, who is retiring.
Trump continued his criticism of El-Sayed after he won the Democrats’ Senate nomination. El-Sayed said Trump was focusing on saying his name in different ways instead of addressing Michigan’s problems and urged the president to turn his attention to the rising cost of living.
In an interview, El-Sayed said he wanted to remove money from politics, put more money in people’s pockets and implement a Medicare program that would provide health care for everyone.
