Two days before the country votes, a sitting president stood in the heartland and reached for the old habit of making a rival into a stranger: calling a Michigan Senate candidate a 'jihadist' and joking about security screening for him, while again attacking Muslim women in public life without offering evidence. It is an old story in new clothes, the suspicion of the outsider used as a closing argument. Whether it moves the voters who remain undecided is a question only Tuesday's returns can answer.
Trump Doubles Down on Islamophobic Attacks in Final Midterm Rallies in Iowa and Kansas
"We're gonna have to get a special metal detector for Abdul."
Mark
Trump called El-Sayed a jihadist at both rallies. Is that the main story here?
Mimi
It's the part that carried the most weight. He repeated it twice in one day, added the metal detector joke, and the crowd laughed. That's a sitting president doing this two days before an election.
Mark
He also tied El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood. What do we know about that?
Mimi
The reporting calls it unfounded. The U.S. has designated some Brotherhood branches as foreign terrorist organisations, but no evidence was presented that El-Sayed belongs to the group.
Luke
That's worth keeping apart. The designation of certain branches is a fact. The claim about El-Sayed is just an assertion by Trump, and the piece says it's unfounded.
Mark
And Ilhan Omar?
Mimi
Same pattern. He repeated that she was married to her brother, again without evidence. It came up at both rallies.
Luke
Notably, we only have Al Jazeera's account of the speeches. The quote on the metal detector is direct, but the rest is paraphrase of what he said.
Mark
Why were these the last rallies?
Mimi
They were cancelled the week before, then suddenly rescheduled. The reporting doesn't say why, and it's the final travel before voting.
Luke
Right, and the reason for the cancellation is unknown. Same with whether any of this moves votes. Polling says Democrats could flip seats in Iowa and Kansas, but could is doing a lot of work.
Mark
Kansas hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1932, so that's a long shot?
Mimi
Polling suggests it's competitive, but the history is real. Iowa's Senate race is too close to call.
The Pulse
- A president's final rallies in Iowa and Kansas were rescheduled after cancellation, carrying the urgency of a last push before Election Day.
- Jokes about metal detectors for a Senate candidate drew laughter in the room, but the labels 'jihadist' and Muslim Brotherhood member were left without proof.
- Attacks spread from Abdul El-Sayed to Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who lost a primary, and a church pastor running in Kansas, widening the disruption.
- Hecklers broke into both speeches as the crowds were urged to 'pretend I'm on the ballot,' and polls point toward possible Democratic gains in both states.
- The result on Tuesday will show whether the rhetoric rallied the base or whether Republicans face a bruising night in Iowa, Kansas, and Michigan.
Two days before the country votes, a sitting president stood in the heartland and reached for the old habit of making a rival into a stranger: calling a Michigan Senate candidate a 'jihadist' and joking about security screening for him, while again attacking Muslim women in public life without offering evidence. It is an old story in new clothes, the suspicion of the outsider used as a closing argument. Whether it moves the voters who remain undecided is a question only Tuesday's returns can answer.
On Sunday, with the midterm vote two days away, President Donald Trump stood before crowds in Iowa and then in Kansas. At both stops he called Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate hopeful from Michigan, a "jihadist," and at both he followed the charge with a joke that drew laughter: the Senate would need a special metal detector just for him.
He also repeated an unfounded claim that El-Sayed belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, offering no evidence. At both rallies he went after Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, again repeating a claim about her marriage and children for which he has provided no proof.
The speeches were the last stops before Election Day on November 3, which will decide control of Congress for the final two years of his term. Polling suggests it could be a hard night for Republicans. Trump urged supporters to turn out, asking them to "pretend I'm on the ballot," while hecklers interrupted both events several times. In Iowa he also said he would "love" to see Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens switch parties, and in Kansas he attacked Democratic Senate hopeful Adam Hamilton, a church pastor, over transgender rights.
The results from Iowa, Kansas, and Michigan will show how far the final push moved voters when polls close on Tuesday.
On Sunday, with the midterm vote two days off, President Donald Trump stood before crowds in Iowa and then Kansas and told them that Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful from Michigan, is a "jihadist." He said it at both rallies, and at both he followed it with a joke that drew laughter: if El-Sayed wins, the Senate will need a special metal detector just for him.
The joke ran on the idea of a senator being screened at the door. Trump described a hundred senators walking directly into the chamber, then said the body would have to get "a special metal detector for Abdul." He also repeated an unfounded claim that El-Sayed belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational organisation whose branches the United States has designated foreign terrorist organisations. No evidence for the membership claim was offered.
The rallies were the last stops on Trump's travel schedule before Election Day. They had been cancelled the week before and then abruptly rescheduled. The election, on November 3, will decide who controls Congress during the final two years of Trump's term. Polling suggests it could be a hard night for Republicans, and the president spent much of both speeches urging supporters to turn out, asking them to "pretend I'm on the ballot." Hecklers interrupted both events several times.
El-Sayed was not the only Muslim politician Trump singled out. At both rallies he went after Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, repeating his claim that she was once married to her brother and had children with him. He has offered no evidence for that assertion.
In Iowa, Trump turned to Michigan's Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the Senate primary to El-Sayed. After the primary she endorsed his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. Trump said he would "love" to see her switch parties.
In Kansas, his target was Adam Hamilton, the Democratic Senate hopeful and a church pastor. Trump criticised Hamilton's support for transgender rights and called him a "stiff" who reads his sermons from teleprompters.
The speeches also covered ground that has become familiar at his events: the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the cost of living, immigration, what he sees as bias in the media against him, and the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Both states are represented mostly by Republicans, but polling suggests Democrats could flip seats in each. Kansas has five federal seats on the ballot, one in the Senate and all four in the House, though it last elected a Democratic senator in 1932. In Iowa the Senate race is too close to call, and polling suggests two Iowa state representative seats being contested lean Democratic.
The results from those two states, and from Michigan, where El-Sayed is running against Rogers, will show how far the final push moved voters when polls close on Tuesday.
Notable Quotes
We're gonna have to get a special metal detector for Abdul.— President Donald Trump, at campaign rallies in Iowa and Kansas
Supporters should 'pretend I'm on the ballot.'— President Donald Trump, urging turnout at both rallies
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Politics & Governance