El-Sayed: I’ll go through metal detector if Trump sits for lie detector

Developed over time first seen 4 days ago

The Hill · 4 days ago

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for a US Senate seat in Michigan, told a rally in Kalamazoo that he would go through a metal detector at the Capitol every day if President Donald Trump took a lie detector test once. El-Sayed suggested questions about Trump’s past association with Jeffrey Epstein and his claim to have won the 2020 presidential election. A White House spokesperson rejected El-Sayed’s implication about Epstein and said Trump had been exonerated in matters relating to him.

El-Sayed was responding to remarks Trump made at a campaign rally in Port Huron, where he called the candidate a “jihadist” and said he should have to pass through a metal detector if elected. El-Sayed has denied ties to extremist groups, and fact-checkers found no evidence for Trump’s claim that he belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood. The exchange comes during El-Sayed’s contest with Trump-backed Republican Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by Democratic Senator Gary Peters.

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In short

El-Sayed offered to use a metal detector if Trump took a lie detector test.
He raised questions about Epstein and Trump’s 2020 election claim.
The exchange followed Trump’s unsupported allegations about El-Sayed.

How this story developed

2 hours ago Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for a US Senate seat in Michigan, told a rally in Kalamazoo that he would go through a metal detector at the Capitol every day if President Donald Trump took a lie detector test once.

30 Oct, 19:21The Hill El-Sayed: I’ll go through metal detector if Trump sits for lie detector
4 Nov, 00:26Associated Press Trump escalates anti-Muslim attacks against El-Sayed in Michigan, drawing Arab American rebuke
4 Nov, 00:26PolitiFact Trump calls Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed a ‘jihadist,’ escalating anti-Muslim attacks

Full account

US President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on 25 October. He called El-Sayed a “jihadist” and claimed he was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, while questioning his loyalty and suggesting he could not be trusted with state secrets. The reports say no evidence was offered for these accusations; El-Sayed has denied ties to extremist groups.

Trump said El-Sayed would have to pass through a metal detector to enter the Senate. He also invoked the 11 September 2001 attacks, comparing the effort to keep El-Sayed from the Senate to the actions of passengers who resisted hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93. At the rally, Trump introduced the father of Todd Beamer, who died on that flight.

El-Sayed, who would be the first Muslim senator if elected, rejected the attacks on his patriotism as shameful and, at a later rally in Grand Rapids, responded that Trump could call him “senator” after November. The race is against Republican Mike Rogers for the seat held by retiring Democratic senator Gary Peters. The contest is among several that could determine control of the Senate.

The remarks drew criticism from Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump, who described them as racist and said they crossed a line. PolitiFact’s report also quoted a Michigan State University scholar who said there was no credible basis for calling El-Sayed a jihadist. It noted that El-Sayed supports constitutional protections for religious freedom and has not advocated violence or imposing Islamic religious rules in the United States.

Where outlets differ

From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:

The Associated Press report places the remarks in the wider political context, including Trump’s outreach to Arab American voters, his attacks on Representative Ilhan Omar and Republican concerns about inflation, fuel prices and the war with Iran. It also highlights condemnation from a former Trump ally.

PolitiFact focuses on checking Trump’s claims. It explains the meaning of “jihadist”, reports that the White House did not provide evidence when asked, and cites an academic assessment that the label does not apply to El-Sayed. Its account gives more detail on the Muslim Brotherhood and El-Sayed’s positions on religious freedom. The reports also differ in the amount of detail they provide about the Flight 93 comparison.