El-Sayed on Trump calling him ‘Mohammed’ in latest attack: ‘He knows my name’

Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed (D) accused President Trump of using his Muslim faith against him after the commander in chief attacked the candidate Wednesday evening.

In a Truth Social post, the president called the Democrat “Mohammed El-Sayed” and dubbed him a “RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer.”

“He knows my name is Abdul. He says it everyday,” the Democrat wrote on the social platform X on Thursday morning. “But he’s not just attacking me. He’s attacking all of us.”

“He thinks so low of us,” El-Sayed continued. “He thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are inflicting on us at the pump, at the grocery store, and at the doctor’s office. He thinks we don’t know any better. It’s time for change.”

El-Sayed, whose full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, is Muslim and was born in Michigan to Egyptian immigrant parents. The progressive defeated centrist Rep. Haley Stevens (Mich.) in the state’s Democratic primary earlier this year.

The doctor and former director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services has campaigned on passing “Medicare for All.” Additionally, El-Sayed has proposed a hike in taxes on billionaires, banning PAC spending in politics and lowering everyday living costs.

Trump’s post came ahead of Michigan’s Senate debate on Thursday evening, in which El-Sayed and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) will face off onstage for the first time. Trump has endorsed the Republican nominee in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also condemned the president’s Wednesday evening comment about El-Sayed.

“Abdul El-Sayed is on the road to being the next Senator from Michigan no matter how much bigoted bulls‑‑‑ a weak and desperate Donald Trump throws at him,” the Democratic leader wrote in an X post.

This is not the first time Trump has invoked El-Sayed’s faith and name in his attacks on the Democrat, nor is the Senate candidate alone in this treatment.

More broadly, Republicans this election cycle have warned of a takeover of “Sharia law” and a “massive Muslim takeover” if Democrats win the November elections — messaging critics say has platformed prejudice and hate against Muslim communities.

In an August Truth Social post, the president posted a photo of himself and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, alongside an image of El-Sayed and his wife. He wrote above, “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s” and included the Democratic candidate’s full name in the post.

El-Sayed responded to the post in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, saying Trump was “right” to point out a contrast between the two images.

“So yes, you’ve got two different visions of America,” he said. “Donald Trump’s vision is the one you’re living in right now. Can you afford gas? Can you afford your groceries? Do you believe, when you look your kids in the eye, that they’re going to have a better future than you did?”