Both Sides: Is Trump's 'jihadist' attack on El-Sayed fair game?

The response: El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official, has called attacks on his loyalty "shameful" and denied any ties to extremist groups. At a Grand Rapids rally Sunday night he said, "I will be Senator Muhammad to you, bro." Sen. Bernie Sanders, appearing with him, called them "racist attacks," Fox News reported. Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump, which led Trump's 2024 outreach to Arab American voters, told the AP, "They are crossing a red line. They are racist."

The background: El-Sayed was born in the U.S. to Egyptian immigrant parents who divorced when he was young, and he was raised by his father, not his mother. In 2012 his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, wrote that "my family has long been MB" and described their mother's Brotherhood activism in the early 1970s. Some branches of the Muslim Brotherhood are designated terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. "There is no evidence that El-Sayed has any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood," the AP reported.

Strongest case it's fair game: Republicans argue the issue is El-Sayed's judgment, not his faith. They point to his appearances with streamer Hasan Piker, who has said "America deserved 9/11" and that "Hamas is a thousand times better" than Israel; his repeated refusal to say whether Iran or Israel is the bigger threat, during a U.S. war with Iran; and his "hurt people hurt people" remark after an attack on a Detroit-area synagogue, for which he later apologized, the AP reported. Rogers asked at their final debate, "Are you for America, or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?" Earlier this month the New York Post reported that El-Sayed's flat denial of any family ties "provides opening for Mike Rogers."

Strongest case it's out of bounds: Calling a candidate a "jihadist" and suggesting he be screened by a metal detector targets his religion, critics say, when the documented record is a relative's posts about other relatives from before he was born. "I'm proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray," El-Sayed said at the debate. The criticism isn't only from Democrats: Bahbah, who helped Trump win Dearborn in 2024, said "people are going to remember that on Nov. 3."

Weak spot (Trump's side): Trump's "jihadist" and "member" labels were not backed by any evidence in the coverage, and the AP said none exists. At the same rally, David Beamer, father of Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer, said El-Sayed is "happy to take" the Brotherhood's "endorsement and their money" and wants to replace the Constitution with sharia law, Fox News reported. We found no documentation of either claim in the reporting.

Weak spot (El-Sayed's side): Sanders said Republicans use Islamophobia because they have "nothing to say" about issues like health care, housing and inequality. But on Sunday Trump pitched a $5,000 dividend if Republicans win, and Rogers touted his push on Canadian trash imports, Fox News reported; voters can judge those plans, but they are economic arguments. El-Sayed's campaign also said families are losing "more than $5,000 on average" to Trump's tariffs without citing a source in Fox's report.

How outlets framed it: NPR ran the AP story as "Trump escalates anti-Muslim attacks," and CBS News said Trump "attacks El-Sayed over his faith." The Washington Post said Trump "escalates campaign rhetoric." CNBC led with Trump invoking 9/11. Fox News's live coverage headlined that Trump "calls El-Sayed a 'jihadist'" and gave prominent space to Beamer's "fiery rally speech."

What's still unknown: We have not seen public polling taken since Sunday's rally, so it is too early to say how Michigan voters are reacting. El-Sayed and Rogers have no further debates scheduled before Nov. 3.

Published Monday morning, Oct. 26, eight days before the Nov. 3 midterms. Quotes from the rally are from AP (via NPR), CBS News and Fox News. Claims made on stage that we could not find support for in the coverage are flagged as such.