US President Donald Trump urged Black and Jewish voters not to back Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, using a South Carolina campaign rally to intervene in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate contests.
Key takeaways
- Trump made the remarks on Thursday at a campaign event in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
- He shifted from South Carolina politics to Michigan’s Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.
- Trump alleged that El-Sayed had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organisation.
- He said Black or Jewish Americans would be “crazy” to vote for the Democratic candidate.
- Trump also called on voters to oppose what he described as “radical left jihadists.”
Trump targets Michigan Senate contest
Speaking for more than an hour at the Rock Hill rally, Trump turned attention away from the local South Carolina campaign and toward the Michigan race, where El-Sayed is facing Republican candidate Mike Rogers for a Senate seat.
Trump told Black and Jewish voters that they should not support El-Sayed. He accused the Democrat of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and said voters in those communities would be “crazy” if they cast ballots for him.
“If you’re Black or if you’re Jewish and if you vote for Abdul, you’re crazy,” Trump said, adding that such voters were “crazy anyway.”
Warning against Democratic support
The president further argued that the United States should not permit what he termed “radical left jihadists” to dismantle the achievements of his administration. He urged voters to reject the Democratic Party in the election.
