Backlash after Trump invokes 9/11 in attack on El-Sayed
US President Donald Trump is facing a backlash after invoking 9/11 as part of a verbal assault on Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Michigan.
TL;DR
- President Trump attacked Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, using 9/11 references and calling him a "jihadist."
- Critics condemned Trump's remarks as Islamophobic and a distraction from substantive issues.
- El-Sayed responded by stating his opponents focus on his name and faith instead of economic concerns.
- The Senate race in Michigan is considered a close contest with implications for the balance of power in Congress.
- El-Sayed, if elected, would be the first Muslim in the US Senate.
- Scrutiny of El-Sayed has involved past writings and affiliations of his family members related to the Muslim Brotherhood.
- Trump designated certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations earlier in the year.
- Some of Trump's supporters have also criticized his statements as out of line and racist.