U.S. President Donald Trump on August 10 made controversial remarks describing Democratic candidates in the midterm elections as "jihadists," days after Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim American candidate, won a primary in Michigan.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump told reporters: "We have jihadists being elected all over the place, whether it's communism or jihadism. A friend of mine called and said you should use the term jihadist, that's what's happening. If you look at what's going on in other countries, I'm not sure that's the way we want to live."
Earlier, Trump also made critical remarks about Somali Americans, calling them "not smart," "not talented," and "nothing to teach us about running a country." According to statistics, about 260,000 Somali Americans live in the U.S.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy national director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), condemned Trump's comments, saying "anti-Muslim hate speech is putting Muslim officials in danger" and "this dangerous rhetoric is fueling the wave of anti-Muslim bias complaints our organization has recorded over the past three years."
Though not naming him, hours later Trump focused criticism on El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants. On Truth Social, Trump posted a photo of El-Sayed standing before a group including two women in headscarves, with the caption: "They're coming to take your homes and property."
Previously, Trump also called El-Sayed a "Jew hater," an "Israel hater," and said he would bring "filth, crime, death, destruction, and shame."
Not only Trump, but several other Republican lawmakers have intensified anti-Muslim rhetoric following El-Sayed's victory. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) declared on social media that "every Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse, a threat to our national security and our republic." Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) called El-Sayed a "TERRORIST" and wrote online that "Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is an EXTREMIST MUSLIM."
Just two days earlier, Trump also shared a post comparing photos of himself and First Lady Melania Trump with those of El-Sayed and his wife, psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku, captioned: "Two VERY DIFFERENT Americas."
In an interview on CNN's State of the Union Sunday night, El-Sayed responded: "Sarah and I genuinely love each other. I don't know about the first lady and the president, but from what I hear, it's been a rocky road."
The midterm elections are set for November, with all 435 House seats and 34 Senate seats up for election. Democrats face ideological divisions between moderate leaders and progressive candidates, some of whom are increasingly portrayed as threats to national security by Washington.
"People don't want crazy extremists running our country, and that's what we have," Trump said Monday.
