Sanders rallies for El-Sayed as Trump likens Michigan candidate to 9/11 hijackers

President escalates attacks in Port Huron; El-Sayed holds narrow lead in polls before Nov. 3 midterms

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published25 October 2026

Updated26 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

Senator Bernie Sanders rallied with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday evening, the same day President Donald Trump used a rally in Port Huron to liken El-Sayed to the Sept. 11 hijackers, in one of the most closely watched races of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

The dueling appearances came in the final stretch of a campaign that will help decide control of the US Senate. El-Sayed, who would be the first Muslim elected to the Senate, led Republican nominee Mike Rogers by 1.9 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics polling average early Sunday morning.

At his rally in Port Huron, an area he won with more than 66 percent of the vote in 2024, Trump said: "I'm here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator." He compared voting against El-Sayed to Todd Beamer, a Michigan native who helped fight the hijackers of United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. "Twenty-five years later, Michigan needs to stand up and fight, just like Todd did, to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol," Trump said, adding that if El-Sayed won, he would be the only senator required to go through a metal detector before being allowed into the Senate.

El-Sayed has denied affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, calling it "shameful" that his allegiance to the United States is questioned. "Faith is a thing there's just too little of in Washington," he said. Rogers, who has alleged ties between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood without providing evidence, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that El-Sayed had not responded sufficiently to the allegations. "He's a Democrat Socialist of America-aligned candidate who has these pretty radical support groups that don't like America," Rogers said.

Former President Barack Obama campaigned for Democrats in Detroit on Saturday, framing the attacks on El-Sayed as an attempt to make him look "less patriotic and less American than they are." He compared the criticism to false claims about his own birthplace, saying: "We have seen this movie before... I starred in it... This stuff didn't work on me. Not in Michigan. It's not going to work on Abdul."

Michigan's open Senate seat is among the nation's most competitive races, and the outcome will help decide control of a chamber where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. The campaign has also been shaped by the US-Canada tariff standoff, which has affected the Detroit-based auto industry. Rogers praised Trump's tariffs for securing manufacturing investments from Chevrolet and Detroit Diesel, but said: "The automobile portion of these Canadian tariffs worries me a little bit."

In the state's gubernatorial race, Republican nominee John James trailed Democrat Jocelyn Benson by just over 6 points in the same polling average.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

Michigan's open Senate seat is among the most competitive in the country, and the result on Nov. 3 will help decide control of the US Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.
Trump has made religious identity and national loyalty central to the race; El-Sayed would be the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
The state has become a meeting point for national figures, with Obama, Trump and Sanders all campaigning there within two days.

Background

The midterm elections are days away, with control of both chambers of Congress at stake. Democrats need only a handful of seats to overturn the Republican majorities in the Senate and House. In Michigan, an open Senate seat has produced one of the country's most competitive races, with El-Sayed and Rogers trading allegations over loyalty and extremism. Trump won the Port Huron area handily in 2024, while the US-Canada tariff standoff has complicated the Republican pitch, affecting the Detroit auto industry and prompting Rogers to distance himself from part of the president's trade policy.

Key Perspectives

Donald Trump: says he is "here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator" and urged Michigan to "stand up and fight, just like Todd did, to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol." Abdul El-Sayed: denies affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, calls the questioning of his loyalty "shameful" and says "Faith is a thing there's just too little of in Washington." Mike Rogers: has alleged, without evidence, that El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, says El-Sayed has not responded sufficiently, and calls him "a Democrat Socialist of America-aligned candidate who has these pretty radical support groups that don't like America." Barack Obama: says the attacks aim to make El-Sayed look "less patriotic and less American than they are," comparing them to false claims that he was born in Kenya. Bernie Sanders: is rallying for El-Sayed in the campaign's final lap, backing the Democrat in the race.

What to Watch

The Nov. 3 result in Michigan, where El-Sayed led by 1.9 points in the RealClearPolitics average early Sunday.
Whether Trump's rhetoric intensifies in the final week and how El-Sayed, Rogers and their surrogates respond.
The gubernatorial race, where Republican John James trails Democrat Jocelyn Benson by just over 6 points, as a possible signal of the state's overall mood.

Sources

Trump invokes 9/11 in urging Michigan voters to oppose Muslim Senate candidate El-Sayed · CNBC
WATCH LIVE: Bernie Sanders rallies with Abdul el Sayed in Michigan · Washington Examiner

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.

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SupportedTrump compared El-Sayed to the 9/11 attackers at the Port Huron rally.US Top News and Analysis: “President Donald Trump at a Sunday campaign rally ratcheted up his push to link US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to Muslim extremists, comparing him to the 9/11 attackers”
SupportedTrump said he was there to keep a jihadist and Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a senator.US Top News and Analysis: ““I'm here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” Trump told a receptive audience in Port Huron, Michigan.”
SupportedEl-Sayed would be the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.US Top News and Analysis: “If he wins, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.”
SupportedEl-Sayed called Rogers’s questioning of his allegiance shameful.US Top News and Analysis: “El-Sayed has denied affiliation with the group, calling it “shameful” that Rogers would question his allegiance to the United States.”
SupportedTrump compared voting against El-Sayed to the actions of Todd Beamer and others who fought the Flight 93 hijackers.US Top News and Analysis: “The president on Sunday compared voting against El-Sayed to the actions of Michigan native Todd Beamer and others who fought back against ‌the Flight 93 hijackers.”
SupportedTrump said Michigan needed to stand up and fight, like Todd Beamer, to stop a jihadist from entering the Capitol.US Top News and Analysis: ““Twenty-five years later, Michigan needs to stand up and fight, just like Todd did, to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol,” Trump said.”
SupportedTrump said El-Sayed would be the only senator who had to go through a metal detector to enter the Senate.US Top News and Analysis: “If El-Sayed wins, “he would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go in the Senate,” Trump said.”
SupportedEl-Sayed said, “Faith is a thing there's just too little of in Washington.”US Top News and Analysis: “El-Sayed has dismissed the accusations against him and, in a recent , defended his religion, saying, “Faith is a thing there’s just too little of in Washington.””
SupportedRogers said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that El-Sayed had not responded sufficiently, calling him a “Democrat Socialist of America-aligned candidate” with radical support groups that dislike America.US Top News and Analysis: “Rogers said in an interview on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday, before the Port Huron rally, that El-Sayed had not responded sufficiently to questions about the allegations. “He's a Democrat Socialist of America-aligned ‌candidate who has these pretty radical support groups that don't like America,” he said.”
SupportedObama said the attacks aimed to make El-Sayed look “less patriotic and less American than they are.”US Top News and Analysis: “At Saturday's rally in Detroit, Obama framed the attacks by El-Sayed's opponents as an attempt to make him look “less patriotic and ⁠less American than they are.””
SupportedTrump won the area around Port Huron with more than 66% of the vote in 2024.US Top News and Analysis: “Port Huron is part of an area of Michigan that Trump won in the 2024 presidential election with more than 66% of the vote.”
SupportedDemocrats need a handful of seats in each chamber to overturn Republican majorities of 53–47 in the Senate and 218–214 in the House.US Top News and Analysis: “Democrats need just a handful of seats each in the US Senate and House of Representatives to overturn Republicans' narrow 53-47 and 218-214 majorities.”