Trump Targets El-sayed as Rogers Rejects Terrorist Label

WHO:

Boston.com News - President Trump addressed a crowd in Port Huron, Michigan, and referred to Abdul El-Sayed as a “jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member.”

NBC News - Mike Rogers, a Republican Michigan Senate candidate and former representative, discussed President Trump’s comments about Abdul El-Sayed in an exclusive interview with *Meet the Press*.

NBC News - President Trump referred to Abdul El-Sayed as a “jihadist” and “violent terrorist”; Rogers said, “I've never called him a terrorist.”

WHAT:

Boston.com News - Trump escalated his rhetoric against El-Sayed while seeking to undermine the Democrat in the Michigan Senate race.

Boston.com News - Trump told the crowd: “I’m here today in Michigan for a very important reason,” adding, “I’m here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator.”

NBC News - Rogers responded to Trump’s characterization of El-Sayed and stated that he had never called El-Sayed a terrorist.

WHERE:

Boston.com News - Trump made his remarks to a crowd in Port Huron, Michigan.

NBC News - Rogers gave the interview on *Meet the Press*; the articles identify the contest as the Michigan Senate race.

WHY:

Boston.com News - Trump said he was in Michigan to prevent El-Sayed from becoming a United States senator.

Boston.com News - The article describes Trump’s remarks as an effort to undermine the Democrat in the Michigan Senate race.

HOW:

Boston.com News - Trump used the labels “jihadist” and “Muslim Brotherhood member” when speaking about El-Sayed.

NBC News - Rogers addressed Trump’s statements in an exclusive *Meet the Press* interview and rejected the terrorist label, saying, “I've never called him a terrorist.”

(UPDATED October 25, 2026 23:04 UTC)

President Trump escalated his attacks on Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat in Michigan’s Senate race, during a rally in Port Huron. Trump told the crowd he was in Michigan to keep El-Sayed from becoming a United States senator. He described El-Sayed as a “jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member,” and also called him a “violent terrorist.” Republican Senate candidate and former representative Mike Rogers addressed Trump’s remarks in an exclusive interview on *Meet the Press*. Rogers rejected the terrorist label, saying, “I've never called him a terrorist.” Trump’s comments framed El-Sayed as a threat and were aimed at undermining his candidacy. Rogers’s response made clear that he had not used the same characterization of El-Sayed. The exchange highlights a dispute over how the Democrat is being portrayed in the Michigan Senate contest.