Trump Accuses Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Muslim Brotherhood Ties

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. During a lunch held in the White House Rose Garden, Trump stated, “He’s a Muslim Brotherhood guy, 100%.” He questioned the suitability of El-Sayed for the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggesting his alleged ties are concerning.

Critics from the Republican community have scrutinized El-Sayed due to social media posts by his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi. She claimed their mother was part of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in the 1970s. Despite these claims, El-Sayed has denied any family ties to the group. In an NBC’s Meet the Press interview, he clarified, “I have no ties; we have no ties.”

El-Sayed has accused his political opponents of using his faith against him, highlighting that the conversation should focus on his policy positions. He stated, “[Opponent Mike Rogers’] only strategy is to point to me and my name and my faith and to say that we’re different, and that you should suspect people simply because they are different than you in how they pray.”

Despite these allegations, there is support from Muslim voters, who see El-Sayed as a counterpart to figures like Ilhan Omar. During a Michigan Democratic Party convention, he emphasized policy over personal attacks.

According to Eman Abdelhadi, their mother’s involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood was active during her college years in the early 1970s. Abdelhadi shared her mother’s activism in a 2012 social media post, acknowledging her family’s historic connection with the group, though she criticized its political strategies.

In Trump’s comments, he expressed eagerness to visit Michigan to publicly confront El-Sayed. He asserted, “He’s a fraud. He’s a con man,” emphasizing the need to address the alleged ties.