Trump rages at Michigan Democratic hopeful, labelling him a ‘Jihadist lunatic’

Donald Trump has again lashed out at Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed – and again claimed not to know his name – branding him a “Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country.”Praising the progressive’s Republican rival Mike Rogers after the pair squared off in a televised debate Thursday, the president wrote on Truth Social: “Mike Rogers, the great American Patriot and Republican Candidate for the U.S.Senate from Michigan, completely obliterated Mohammad El-Sayed [sic] in the big debate tonight.“If this was a fight they would have stopped it. Mohammad is a Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country, the Black People of Detroit, and wants to see the U.S. fail. “Short on Stature, Patriotism, and Truth, Mohammed’s statements have been loaded up with lies and deceit. I won Michigan BIG, and know that Mike Rogers, a total winner, is the man for you!!!”Trump had also misnamed El-Sayed, who is a Muslim, in another post earlier in the day, calling him “a terrible Candidate for the Dumocrats,” as well as a “RADICAL Extremist” and “Terrorist Sympathizer.”Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has been labelled a ‘Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country’ by President Donald Trump (Reuters)The candidate responded to that attack by zeroing in on the president calling him “Mohammad” or “Mohammed” interchangeably, refusing to dignify the more serious slurs with an answer.“He knows my name is Abdul,” he wrote on X. “He says it everyday. But he’s not just attacking me. He’s attacking all of us. “He thinks so low of us. He thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are inflicting on us at the pump, at the grocery store, and at the doctor’s office. He thinks we don’t know any better. It’s time for change.”During last night’s debate, Rogers likewise attempted to undermine El-Sayed’s credibility, claiming he was not really a doctor (he has a medical degree from Columbia University) and considered Egypt his real home, not the U.S.Mike Rogers, El-Sayed’s Republican rival, also attacked his credibilty during a Thursday night debate, only for the Democrat to fire back in brutal fashion (Reuters)“My home is Michigan. You live in Florida,” the Democrat fired back on the latter point, alluding to Rogers’ second home.For his part, El-Sayed attempted to paint Rogers as a Trump stooge in the pocket of corporate lobbyists who would not challenge the president on the Iran war or his damaging trade spat with Canada. Addressing the blockading of the Strait of Hormuz driving up domestic gas prices, he said: “Mike Rogers has been cheerleading the war since the beginning, calling it a win, win, win. I don’t know about you, but when I fill up my tank I don’t feel like I’m winning.” Interviewed by Jen Psaki on MS NOW afterwards, El-Sayed attacked Trump again over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan in December will be livestreamed. Trump has dusted off the same strategy of attack he deployed, to little effect, against Zohran Mamdani in last year’s New York City mayoral race (AFP/Getty)“Under Trump and Hegseth, you’re seeing extremes that you never would have imagined,” he said. “The idea that you want to livestream somebody’s death for children to watch is truly extreme... I don’t want that to be politics as usual."The president’s repeated slights on El-Sayed as a Muslim and “Communist” – which began as soon as he beat centrist state representative Haley Stevens in his party’s primary – echo his efforts to deride Zohran Mamdani last year before the latter won the New York City mayoral race and unexpectedly found himself in Trump’s good graces. El-Sayed has given as good as he’s gotten, however, mocking the president over his close relationship with his executive assistant Natalie Harp and referring sarcastically to Vice President JD Vance’s “Ohio charisma” after the latter said his candidacy appealed only to “self-hating white liberals.” The former public health official’s two-fisted approach has even won him admirers on the right, with Fox News host Jesse Watters and pundit Tucker Carlson both admitting to having a soft spot for him.