Stevens endorses Rogers after El-Sayed asked her to stay away
The Guardian reported that Donald Trump repeatedly called Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a “jihadist” during a Sunday campaign event in Iowa. El-Sayed is a practicing Muslim, and Mike Rogers was his Republican opponent in the Michigan Senate race.
Trump said Congress would have to “get a special metal detector for Abdul” if El-Sayed were elected. He added: “If you vote for this jihadist lunatic that wants to destroy you, you’re crazy.”
Stevens had lost to El-Sayed in the August primary election and then declined to campaign with him. Stevens demanded that El-Sayed publicly disavow an outside group’s political ad that linked rising prices with U.S. military support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
El-Sayed responded by telling Stevens to stay away from a campaign event where they were supposed to appear together on Sunday. Stevens instead endorsed Rogers, El-Sayed’s Republican opponent. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish, condemned the endorsement in the waning hours of the tight race.
Trump praised Stevens for turning against El-Sayed and urged her to join the Republican Party. “It was an incredible thing,” Trump said. “I’d love her to join the Republican party. I think that could happen.”
Trump then lauded Rogers in metaphorical terms: “And you know what this country needs? A little apple pie. We don’t need the communists or jihadists, the Muslim Brotherhood. We need apple pie. He’s apple pie. He’ll be good.”
The Guardian said Trump’s comments were intended to influence the neck-and-neck Michigan race. The outlet said the contest had drawn national attention in recent days and would play an outsized role in determining which party controls the Senate after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Trump also said he had little time to watch football that weekend because he had been “going to these damn rallies all over the place.” In another campaign remark, he said, “Pretend I’m on the ballot,” adding, “Essentially, I am on the ballot.”