President Donald Trump on Sunday escalated his attacks on Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, saying El-Sayed should “not be allowed to serve in our Senate” and questioning whether El-Sayed has illegally practiced medicine.
Trump made the remarks in response to a question from Breitbart News on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews before departing for Michigan, where he is scheduled to rally for Republican candidates, including Senate contender Mike Rogers.
“Well, I think he’s practicing illegally, from what I’ve been told. If he actually saw a patient, it would be illegal. So it’s just like everything else. He’s a jihadist, and he should not be allowed to serve in our Senate,” Trump said.
El-Sayed holds a medical degree but appears never to have completed the post-medical-school requirements needed to become a licensed physician. He has nonetheless appeared publicly in a white coat and referred to himself as a doctor for years.
The discrepancy has drawn scrutiny over media coverage of the race. The New York Times referred to El-Sayed as a doctor 42 times in a single article covering Wednesday night’s Michigan Senate debate. By contrast, when Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) — an actual licensed surgeon — first ran for Senate in 2010, the Times referred to him simply as “Mr. Paul.”
Trump also addressed El-Sayed’s 2012 decision to co-sign a letter supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, telling Breitbart News, “He’s at least very, very supportive of that group, and we can’t have that.”
El-Sayed and Rogers are locked in one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the midterm cycle, with Republicans aiming to preserve their Senate majority and Democrats hoping to flip the seat for the remainder of Trump’s term.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Saturday, Rogers echoed Trump’s position on El-Sayed’s medical credentials, stating it would be illegal for El-Sayed to see a patient given his licensing status.
