Trump mocks Abdul El-Sayed’s name again

• El-Sayed has denied having ties to the organization, and a Bridge Michigan fact-check found no evidence that he personally pledged support to the group.
• The accusations come amid a closely watched Michigan Senate race ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

US President Donald Trump mocked Democratic Senate candidate Abdulrahman El-Sayed’s name again in a campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia, on Friday, Oct. 16, following earlier remarks to the same effect. 

Trump referred to El-Sayed as “Mohammed” during the rally, and said he took heat from the media for calling him that previosuly.

The president also said, "I'm the president. I can call you whatever the hell I want Muhammad. His name is actually Abdullahalalalala baa ba ba Muhammad El-Sayed. So his middle name is Muhammad. I was right.. almost."

Trump’s remarks fit a pattern of rhetoric about Muslims that dates back to his first presidential campaign. In Dec. 2015, he called for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States, a proposal that became a defining feature of his campaign. In a March 2016 interview, he also said, “I think Islam hates us,” a comment that drew widespread criticism from Muslim advocacy groups and civil rights organizations. 

After taking office in 2017, Trump moved to restrict entry to the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. His administration’s policy faced legal challenges and was revised several times before the Supreme Court upheld a version of the travel ban in 2018. The policy became one of the most prominent examples of his approach to immigration and national security, with critics arguing that it discriminated against Muslims

More recently, Trump has renewed his attacks on Muslim Americans during the 2026 midterm campaign, including remarks targeting El-Sayed and Somali Americans. Reuters reported on Oct. 9 that Trump had used social media to portray Somali immigrants as a threat and had described El-Sayed as a “radical extremist” and “terrorist sympathizer.” The comments have drawn criticism from civil rights advocates, who say such rhetoric stigmatizes Muslim communities. 

Read more: Trump accuses Abdul El-Sayed of Muslim Brotherhood ties, backs Mike Rogers