Guardian Traces Trump's 'Muslim Brotherhood' Attack on El-Sayed to Loomer Hoax
A Guardian investigation finds the Islamophobic claim Trump, Rogers and allies use against Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed originated with conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer and is false.
Part of a larger narrative
Trump escalates ‘jihadist’ attacks on Michigan Senate nominee El-Sayed
- Springsteen endorses El-Sayed as Michigan Senate race fractures Democrats
- Michigan Democrats divided over El-Sayed as Senate race tightens
- Guardian Traces Trump's 'Muslim Brotherhood' Attack on El-Sayed to Loomer Hoaxyou are here
- Vance Accuses El-Sayed of 'Anti-White Racial Hatred' Days Before Michigan Vote
- Trump escalates ‘jihadist’ attacks on Michigan Senate nominee El-Sayed
What to know
- Trump repeatedly called Abdul El-Sayed a 'jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member' during Michigan rallies in the campaign's final stretch, also suggesting metal-detector checks and criticizing Jewish voters backing him.
- A Guardian investigation published October 29 found the underlying claim — that a 2012 letter El-Sayed signed endorsed the Muslim Brotherhood — is false; the letter never mentions the group and backed Egypt's pro-democracy movement.
- The claim originated with conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer in 2018 and has since been repeated by Rogers in debates and ads, and amplified by Trump, Ted Cruz and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- The Michigan Senate race, which could help determine Senate control, is tight, with polls showing El-Sayed narrowly ahead of Rogers before the November 3 election.
“If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadis to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas.”
Donald Trump, US President · Philadelphia Inquirer ↗ · Oct 25
Donald Trump US President
Abdul El-Sayed Democratic Senate nominee, MichiganMike Rogers Republican Senate nominee, Michigan
Laura Loomer Conspiracy theorist, Trump adviserHossam el-Hamalawy Egyptian journalist
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Guardian traces 'Muslim Brotherhood' claim to Laura Loomer, calls it false
A Guardian review found the 2012 letter El-Sayed signed makes no mention of the Muslim Brotherhood and instead supported Egypt's pro-democracy movement; the false 'pledge' framing originated with Loomer in 2018 and has since been amplified by Rogers, Trump, Ted Cruz and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“makes no reference to the Muslim Brotherhood…”
— Hossam el-Hamalawy -
2 outlets How Laura Loomer and Trump allies amplified ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ lie dogging Abdul El-Sayed
first by Guardian US, 10d ago · also Guardian
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first by Breitbart, 12d ago
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According to @politifact.bsky.social in a rally on October 15, 2026 Donald Trump stated "He's a Muslim radical. He's a Muslim Brotherhood member." He then explicitly said: "Don't vote for Mohamed El-Sayed." @cnn.com here’s your own transcript of the event. prod.transcripts.
2 more of the top 3 · 6 posts in this stretch
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In 2008, John McCain told a supporter that Barack Obama was a decent man she had no reason to fear. On Sunday, the President of the United States stood on a Michigan stage while a speaker told the crowd that a birth certificate doesn’t make you an American. We have traveled a long way from decency in a short time. The question is whether fear…
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Open bigotry toward Muslims is not just a way to get ahead in President Donald Trump’s Republican Party. Increasingly, it seems to be the purpose of Trump’s Republican Party.
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HuffPost documents Republican Islamophobic pattern in Michigan race
HuffPost reported that Trump and Republicans 'from Trump down' have increasingly relied on Islamophobic tropes to try to defeat El-Sayed before the midterms.
“I’m here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator.”
— Donald Trump, US President · source -
first by HuffPost, 11d ago
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first by Philadelphia Inquirer, 12d ago
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- 1 day quiet
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Trump repeats attacks, suggests daily metal-detector checks
On a Monday Michigan trip Trump again called El-Sayed a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member, referred to him as 'Mohamed,' and proposed daily metal-detector testing if he is elected.
“I call him Muhammed…”
— Donald Trump -
first by Newsweek, 10d ago · also Washington Examiner
1 more headline
- Trump, Vance, and the ‘jihadist’ el Sayed Washington Examiner · 10d ago
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1 outlet first by Times of India, 11d ago · read ↗
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At Sunday night's rally, Trump compared Abdul El-Sayed to a 9/11 hijacker and suggested that his victory would mean canceling Christmas. And he isn't the only one peddling islamophobia before the midterms.
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background
Trump calls El-Sayed a 'jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member' in Michigan — At a Port Huron rally of roughly 4,000 supporters, Trump called El-Sayed a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member, said he would need to pass through a metal detector to enter the Senate, warned of 'jihadists' flooding the country, and told Jewish voters backing El-Sayed they 'should be ashamed.'
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background
Rogers escalates claim in debate and closing TV ad — In the final Senate debate Rogers accused El-Sayed of asking Egypt's Morsi to defund police there too; a subsequent Rogers TV ad said El-Sayed 'has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood' and 'publicly supported these terrorists,' showing his image over Hamas footage.
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background
El-Sayed disavows Muslim Brotherhood after viral confrontation — A Republican operative posing as a voter asked El-Sayed on camera whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood; he agreed and compared the fearmongering to attacks on John F. Kennedy's Catholicism in 1960.
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background
Rogers opens campaign with Muslim Brotherhood claim against El-Sayed — Republican nominee Mike Rogers began restating Laura Loomer's 2018 claim that a 2012 letter El-Sayed signed was a pledge of support for the Muslim Brotherhood.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by Mastodon, 9d ago · also The Bulwark
1 more headline
- Is the Islamophobic Campaign Against El-Sayed Working? Mastodon · 7d ago
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first by Mastodon, 6d ago · also Guardian
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first by The Daily Wire, 10d ago · also Daily Wire
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first by New Yorker, 11d ago · also The New Yorker
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first by The Washington Post, 12d ago
1 more headline
- Why these Arab Americans who voted for Trump now back Abdul El-Sayed The Washington Post · 12d ago
and 9 smaller pieces
What people are saying 2 voices from 1 site · best of 7 · verbatim
- Nov 1
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From AP: El-Sayed pokes Trump as Michigan Senate election nears: “We’re going to make him call me ‘senator’” https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=nmAmdRoC-I Y&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon * VSN-GDPM c1996 # news # SupportIndependentMedia # vsn
- Oct 29
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https:// thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p /trump-racist-islamophobic-midterms-abdul?publication_id=1258230&post_id=222692821&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=23fvoh&triedRedirect=true

