President Donald Trump proposed subjecting Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to a security check unlike anything other senators would face, declaring that the Democrat should pass through a metal detector before being permitted inside the Senate.
At a Sunday campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, Trump described the special screening he wanted for El-Sayed.
“He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate. I want him to have a metal detector,” Trump declared.
The proposed screening was part of Trump’s criticism of El-Sayed, whose Muslim faith and alleged connections to the Muslim Brotherhood have become subjects of Republican attacks throughout the Senate contest.
The president specifically accused the Democrat of having a record of supporting jihadists, an allegation El-Sayed rejects.
“Anyone with that record of support for jihadists would be screened and unable to get a seat on an airplane. They certainly should not give him a seat in the United States Senate,” Trump maintained.
El-Sayed rejected Trump’s characterization and accused him of disregarding the constitutional protections that allow Americans of different religions to participate equally in public life.
During Sunday’s edition of MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation,” host Al Sharpton raised the criticism directed at El-Sayed’s family and religion, drawing a parallel with the treatment of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
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The Michigan Democrat responded with an unusually personal comparison involving Trump’s respect for the Constitution.
“It’s disgusting and it’s un-American. I mean, the thing about Donald Trump is that he has about as much regard for the Constitution as he has for a piece of toilet paper in his personal bathroom, because that’s basically what he’s done with it,” El-Sayed declared.
El-Sayed: The thing about Donald Trump is that he has about as much regard for the constitution as he has for a piece of toilet paper in his in his personal bathroom, because that's basically what he's done with it. pic.twitter.com/ZcaL6Wkgi7
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 25, 2026
He contrasted the president’s remarks with constitutional guarantees that protect religious observance, including the freedom to reject religious practice altogether.
Omar, whom El-Sayed invoked in his criticism, is currently the subject of a federal investigation concerning alleged immigration fraud.
“When he goes after Congresswoman Omar, when he goes after me, he’s going after that idea of America,” El-Sayed argued.
The Senate hopeful maintained that American citizenship should be defined by adherence to constitutional law rather than membership in any particular religious or cultural community.
El-Sayed has repeatedly denied belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, and his campaign maintains that it has no relationship with the organization.
Those denials have accompanied attacks from Trump and former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), El-Sayed’s Republican opponent.
On Truth Social, Trump previously characterized the Democrat as “a Jihadist Member of the Muslim Brotherhood” and suggested that he wanted “our Country to go to Sharia Law.”
Rogers has accused El-Sayed of pledging allegiance to the Muslim Brotherhood, pointing to political contributions from individuals he identifies as having connections to the organization. El-Sayed disputes the accusation.
Questions involving those purported connections led to a confrontation between El-Sayed and Fox News anchor Bret Baier during an interview broadcast Friday evening.
El-Sayed objected to what he believed was an insinuation about his loyalty to the United States.
“You are asking this question to raise a question about whether or not I have dual loyalty,” he protested.
The candidate’s objection arose as Baier presented allegations from Rogers’ campaign. Although the anchor denied suggesting divided allegiance, El-Sayed maintained that his statements were being taken “out of context” and urged Baier to “be a journalist.”
“As a journalist, if you’re asking about my allegiance to the constitution, I have never been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, I never will be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood,” the candidate insisted.
He also described his intention to serve the United States and fulfill the constitutional oath required of senators.
Rogers faced questions of his own Sunday when NBC’s *Meet the Press* host Kristen Welker tried to establish whether he personally embraced the MAGA Republican designation.
The former congressman declined to answer directly, instead criticizing the national media’s interest in the label and pointing toward his campaign’s outreach within Michigan.
“Listen, I’m going to tell you this is, I get you guys on the national press, but this is a little bit disgusting to me,” Rogers complained.
He referred to a former Michigan Democratic Party chair who had declined to endorse El-Sayed, then cited voters in Detroit, Flint and Pontiac as examples of communities where his campaign had found support.
“There is a reason we have support from people in Detroit and Flint and Pontiac, because we’re there talking about issues, talking about their needs and future, and [El-Sayed] is too extreme for them,” Rogers noted.
Michigan’s automobile industry also figured into Rogers’ discussion of Trump’s tariffs, with the Republican expressing concern about the economic effects of trade restrictions involving Canada.
“You know the automobile portion of these Canadian tariffs worries me a little bit,” Rogers acknowledged.
Welker had questioned whether Rogers would support repealing some of Trump’s tariffs, particularly given his earlier call to end the trade dispute with Canada.
Rather than identify duties he would eliminate, Rogers favored negotiating changes that would benefit Michigan.
He contrasted his automobile concerns with an earlier effort to stop Canadian garbage trucks from bringing waste into American landfills.
“If you’re going to tariff anything, tariff this trash that’s filling up our landfills from what is the third largest landmass country in the world,” he explained.
Rogers expressed interest in revisiting automobile tariffs to obtain relief for Michigan rather than committing to an outright repeal.
