Donald Trump lashed out at Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed following the first debate between El-Sayed and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers on Thursday evening.
Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after midnight, using a different name for the Democratic nominee rather than his actual name.
“Mike Rogers, the great American Patriot and Republican Candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, completely obliterated Mohammed El-Sayed in the big debate tonight,” Trump wrote.
“If this was a fight they would have stopped it. Mohammed is a Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country, the Black People of Detroit, and wants to see the U.S. fail,” Trump continued in the post.
Trump added that El-Sayed was “Short on Stature, Patriotism, and Truth,” claiming the Democrat’s statements had been “loaded up with lies and deceit.”
Trump has repeatedly referred to El-Sayed as “Mohammed” throughout the race, a pattern the Democratic candidate has publicly called out.
El-Sayed, whose full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, has accused Trump of deliberately using his name and Muslim faith to divert attention from economic pressures facing American families.
“He knows my name is Abdul. He says it everyday,” El-Sayed wrote on social media, adding that Trump “thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are inflicting on us at the pump, at the grocery store, and at the doctor’s office.”
The debate, hosted by Nexstar’s Grand Rapids station and NewsNation, saw the two candidates trade sharp personal attacks over corporate influence, foreign ties, carpetbagging, and their respective careers.
El-Sayed worked to frame the contest as a direct referendum on Trump, repeatedly tying Rogers to the president throughout the evening.
“It’s about whether or not you trust your next U.S. senator [to] stand up to Trump and Trumpism,” El-Sayed said during the debate.
El-Sayed also called Rogers a “sock puppet for the Trump administration” while discussing the Republican’s position on the Trump administration’s conflict with Iran.
Rogers, who is endorsed by Trump, has tried to project a bipartisan image while distancing himself from some of the administration’s most controversial positions.
Earlier this week, Rogers called for an end to the trade war with Canada and had previously urged an end to the Iran conflict, signaling some daylight between himself and the White House.
Last month, El-Sayed debated alone after Rogers declined to participate in a separate event, with Rogers citing concerns about bias from the host outlet.
The two candidates are scheduled to meet once more before the election, with a final debate set for October 21 hosted by WXYZ-TV.
