President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of Democrats ahead of the November midterms, telling reporters that “jihadists” are being elected while also renewing attacks on Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and other figures on the political left.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of Democrats on Monday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “jihadists” are being elected across the country as Republicans sharpen their message ahead of the midterm elections.
“Well, the one thing is, we have jihadists being elected all over the place,” Trump said, without naming particular candidates at that moment, according to CNN.
“We have this whether it’s communism, jihadism,” Trump added.
Trump said he began using the term after a friend encouraged him to do so.
“A friend of mine called up,” Trump said, recalling the person telling him, “You know, really, you should use the word jihadist because that’s what’s happening.”
Trump later said that, “as an example,” some of the political figures he was discussing came from countries including Somalia.
The president has repeatedly criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who was born in Somalia, and has previously called for Omar and another Muslim member of Congress to go “back from where they came.”
His latest comments come as Republicans increasingly focus on Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim and won his party’s nomination last week.
Trump attacked El-Sayed during a campaign appearance in Las Vegas, calling him a “hater of Jews and hater of Israel.”
El-Sayed has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government.
Over the weekend, Trump also shared an image comparing himself and first lady Melania Trump with El-Sayed and his wife, Sarah Jukaku, who wears a hijab.
The image carried the caption, “Two very different Americas.”
El-Sayed addressed the post Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” agreeing that the photographs represented competing visions of the country but offering a sharply different interpretation.
“Yeah, he’s right. One in which your overlords are two people who don’t like each other but join in the interest of making billions of dollars off of you. Or, two people who genuinely love each other, enjoyed some pancakes together, want to come together to build the kind of America where they can raise a family and know that that family is going to have the good thing,” El-Sayed said. “So, yes, you got two different visions of America.”
National Republicans have stepped up their criticism of El-Sayed since his primary victory, including frequently referring to him by his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.
Trump has also repeatedly accused Democrats and democratic socialists of embracing communism, at times describing Democrats as being overtaken by “godless Communists.”
Those attacks have become part of the Republican campaign strategy as the party seeks to portray Democrats as having moved further left ahead of November.
Democratic socialists advocate policies substantially to the left of mainstream Democrats but distinguish their political ideology from communism.
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