President Donald Trump said Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers "completely obliterated" Democrat opponent Abdul El-Sayed in Thursday night's debate, praising the former congressman in one of the nation's most closely watched Senate races. "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 on Truth Social. "If this was a fight they would have stopped it," the president added. Trump, who repeatedly called El-Sayed "Mohammed" rather than Abdul, accused the progressive Democrat of holding extremist views and making false statements. "Mohammed is a Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country, the Black People of Detroit, and wants to see the U.S. fail," Trump wrote. "I won Michigan BIG, and know that Mike Rogers, a total winner, is the man for you!!!" Trump added. Thursday's debate was combative, with the candidates repeatedly exchanging personal attacks and continuing their arguments during a commercial break. Moderator Rick Albin repeatedly tried to restore order. "I'd like to be a part of the debate, too," Albin said. "In 30 years of doing debates, I've never seen it continue during the commercial, but it did," he later remarked. Rogers accused El-Sayed, a former public health official, of misrepresenting his medical credentials, calling him a "con man." El-Sayed countered that Rogers would serve as a "sock puppet" for Trump. Despite Trump's enthusiastic endorsement, Rogers has recently broken with the administration on several issues. Rogers reiterated during Thursday's debate that the war with Iran must end quickly and defended his opposition to Trump's tariffs on Canada. "We know that Canada is not our enemy," Rogers said in a campaign advertisement released Wednesday. Rogers also criticized federal immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, saying authorities could have handled them differently. El-Sayed faced questions about his positions on Israel and Iran, issues that have generated concerns among some Jewish voters in Michigan. Asked whether he would support providing weapons to Israel if it were attacked, El-Sayed said he opposed using U.S. taxpayer money to subsidize foreign wars. El-Sayed also declined to say whether Iran or Israel posed the greater threat, calling the question "ridiculous." Trump had attacked El-Sayed on Truth Social late Wednesday, calling him a "RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer" and reiterating his "COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT" of Rogers. El-Sayed, who was born in the United States to Egyptian immigrant parents, accused Trump of targeting him because of his name and Muslim faith. Rogers narrowly lost Michigan's 2024 Senate election to Democrat Elissa Slotkin by fewer than 20,000 votes. El-Sayed secured this year's Democrat nomination by defeating Rep. Haley Stevens in a closely contested primary. Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who supported Stevens in the primary, appeared alongside El-Sayed on Thursday as the party sought to unite ahead of November's election. Credit: newsmax.com |
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