Trump says Abdul El-Sayed getting majority Jewish votes in Michigan “not understandable”
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US President Donald Trump said in a recent interview that progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed received more support from Jewish voters in Michigan than the Republican candidate in the state’s US Senate race, calling the outcome difficult to understand.
In comments to the Salem News Channel, Trump stated: “If you look at El-Sayed in Michigan, he got more votes than the Republican candidate got by quite a bit from Jewish people. It’s not even understandable. It’s a tough group to get.”
The remarks came about a week after El-Sayed defeated former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers on November 3, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
El-Sayed, a former public health official and progressive, won by roughly 7 percentage points in a race that drew national attention and heavy spending.
Jewish voters, who make up about 1.3–1.4% of Michigan’s population and have long leaned Democratic, were a focal point amid debates over El-Sayed’s sharp criticism of ‘Israel’, including opposition to US military aid and comments following a March 2026 synagogue attack in West Bloomfield for which he later apologized.
Exit polling of early Jewish voters conducted in late October by Mercury Public Affairs for The Jewish Majority found El-Sayed receiving about 57–60% support, compared with 34–36% for Rogers.
By contrast, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson received around 78–79% among the same group.
Nearly one in four Jewish voters who backed Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024 crossed over to Rogers, with most of those citing El-Sayed’s ‘Israel’ positions and antisemitism concerns as key reasons.
A Politico analysis of precinct-level results showed El-Sayed underperformed other Michigan Democrats in areas with larger Jewish populations.
In Huntington Woods, roughly two-thirds Jewish, he received 65.3% compared with Benson’s 80%.
In West Bloomfield, about a quarter Jewish, the gap was nearly 9 points.
Statewide he trailed Benson by only about 2 points (52.5% to 54.5%).
El-Sayed’s campaign cited analyses showing he largely held Democratic margins in many Jewish precincts relative to prior races while performing strongly among Muslim voters.
During the campaign Trump repeatedly criticized Jewish support for El-Sayed.
At an October 25 rally in Port Huron he said, “Any Jewish person that supports this guy should be ashamed of themselves,” and later told audiences that Jewish or Black voters backing El-Sayed were “not smart” or “crazy.”
El-Sayed rejected characterizations of him as extreme, emphasized domestic priorities such as health care and costs, and said after the election that while he would not change his views on ‘Israel’ he hoped to “earn support” from Jewish voters on shared issues including religious pluralism and the Constitution.
