US President Donald Trump targeted Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed and Ilhan Omar during campaign rallies in Iowa and Kansas ahead of the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, leaning heavily into Islamophobic rhetoric and conspiracy theories while working to energize Republican voters.
The events in Dubuque, Iowa, and Kansas served as the final travelling stops of the campaign trail. With congressional control hanging in the balance, Trump used the platform to rally supporters in states where polls indicate tight races that could flip traditional alignments.
Targeting Senate Hopefuls and Lawmakers
At both rallies, Trump repeated the claim that Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic US Senate hopeful from Michigan, is a “jihadist.” The president joked that the Senate would need a special metal detector to scan El-Sayed before he enters the building if elected. Trump also repeated unfounded claims linking El-Sayed to the transnational Muslim Brotherhood.
President Donald Trump said Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed "hates" the U.S. and called him a "Muslim Brotherhood guy." "We want to keep our country away from this guy," Trump said during an event at the White House on Thursday. "I call him Mohammed El-Fayad. And his… pic.twitter.com/DNlm40zmtg”
Trump described El-Sayed as a “jihadist lunatic” during the Iowa rally. These attacks have sparked concern among El-Sayed’s supporters, who fear the rhetoric is reaching undecided voters, while alienating Arab American allies who previously supported the GOP.
The Michigan race gained additional national attention after Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the primaries, declined to campaign with him. Stevens subsequently endorsed El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. Trump praised Stevens during his Iowa speech, stating he would love for her to switch parties, while describing Rogers as “apple pie.”
Trump also took aim at Ilhan Omar, repeating claims without evidence regarding her past family history. In Kansas criticized Democratic Senate hopeful Adam Hamilton, a church pastor, over his support for trans rights.
Polling Stakes in Iowa and Kansas
The rallies focused heavily on states where control of Congress remains fiercely contested. Kansas features five federal congressional seats up for election, including one Senate seat and all four House seats, with the state having last elected a Democratic senator in 1932. In Iowa, the Senate race remains too close to call, alongside two state representative seats leaning toward Democrats.
Throughout his speeches, Trump urged voters to treat the midterm election as a personal referendum. “Pretend I’m on the ballot,” he told supporters.
