‘Mohammed el-Sayed’: Trump says he can change name of ‘jihadist’ Michigan Senate candidate

Read the original at The Independent ↗
The Independent · collected 2026-10-11 · by Isabel Keane

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump spoke at a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he again incorrectly referred to Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as "Mohammed." Despite being corrected on his mistake, Trump insisted that he could call the candidate whatever he wanted and repeatedly called him a "jihadist." The article highlights how Trump has frequently attacked El-Sayed, who would be America’s first Muslim senator if elected, labeling him as an enemy of the country.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump misnamed Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim candidate running for the US Senate seat in Michigan, as “Mohammed” during an attack that falsely accused El-Sayed of being a “Terrorist Sympathiser.” El-Sayed, an Arab American and Democrat, responded by stating "he knows my name," referencing Trump’s previous false claims linking him to extremist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda. The Michigan senate race is considered pivotal for determining which party controls the US Senate in upcoming midterms scheduled for next month. Abdul El-Sayed, if elected, would become America's first Muslim senator. Trump also criticized El-Sayed during a campaign rally in Tennessee on Saturday, continuing to incorrectly use the name "Mohammed" and labeling him a “Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country.”

Written for “Trump Misnames Candidate” on 2026-10-11, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 72722: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-11

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
32
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 32 hedged
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Correction & hedging signals
58.7
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
2
Politics
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-10-11 · how these are computed

Story

📰 Trump Misnames Candidate
Politics · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
South China Morning Post · 0.94 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 25% hedged 1 of 4 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles report on President Trump misnaming Muslim Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as 'Mohammed' during a public appearance, clearly describing the same incident.”
Reason
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 2 📰 publisher trust 66
“The articles describe different instances involving Abdul El-Sayed: one covers Obama's support for him, while the other covers Trump's incorrect reference to his name during a speech.”
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right 🔴 5% hedged 1 of 20 📰 publisher trust 67
“The articles describe different events related to El-Sayed's campaign and Trump's comments, not a single specific incident.”
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 26 📰 publisher trust 67
“The articles discuss different instances involving Abdul El-Sayed: one about his past criticism of Obama and another about Trump's comments during the election campaign.”
Fox News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 10% hedged 4 of 40 📰 publisher trust 70
“Article A describes a direct confrontation between Rogers and El-Sayed during a debate, while Article B reports on Trump's comments about El-Sayed at an unspecified time.”
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 50% hedged 1 of 2 📰 publisher trust 66
“Article A describes a debate between candidates, while Article B reports on President Trump's comments about one of the candidates.”
Fox News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 19 📰 publisher trust 70
“The articles describe different statements made by Trump about El-Sayed, with Article A focusing on a debate and Article B on Trump's declaration of changing El-Sayed's name.”
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 6% hedged 2 of 33 📰 publisher trust 66
“Article A describes a debate between El-Sayed and Rogers, while Article B reports on Trump's comments about El-Sayed using incorrect names.”
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 13% hedged 15 of 114
“Article A discusses a campaign ad attacking Abdul El-Sayed, while Article B reports on President Trump's comments about El-Sayed during a different time and context.”
Fox News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 6% hedged 2 of 34 📰 publisher trust 70
“The articles discuss different aspects of El-Sayed's campaign and Trump's comments, not a single identical incident.”

Publisher

The Independent · 2068 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)
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2026-10-03
Prison chief to resign after shock botched execution of Christa Pike
2026-09-22
Costa Rican man complained of lack of care for diabetes before his death in ICE custody, family says
2026-09-17
Killer who gunned down famed Elvis impersonator set to be executed tonight
2026-09-04
Pennsylvania confirms second death of child with measles after RFK Jr. told CDC director to delete numbers

Who wrote this

Isabel Keane
52 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 If El-Sayed is elected, he would become America’s first Muslim senator.
🔮 The deceased will be taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for autopsies.
2026-10-11 · assertive framing · Georgia family of 5 dead in apparent murder-suicide
🔮 An Ohio political blogger is set to stand trial after allegedly sending a state senator an obscene image of the cartoon ogre Shrek with his penis exposed.
🔮 Doe spent the following day taping paper to the windows of the home to prevent anyone from peering inside — out of fear that a gunman would target them, her lawyer said.
🔮 “I was like, ‘There’s no way that this would happen to me right now,” she added.
🔮 During the meeting, Garimella told the fraternity presidents to “step up and be accountable for the men in their chapters,” Lieberman wrote, noting that they were told the university would be “forced to act” if they didn’t meet this expectation.
🔮 Children with EV-D68 may also have fever or develop more serious symptoms like difficulty breathing or pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
🔮 Fewer Americans will be hired for seasonal work this holiday season as many companies have been quiet about their upcoming hiring plans, according to a report.
🔮 The company’s plan is to close its order-with-pickup stores in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., on October 18, while its Annapolis, Maryland, location will shutter October 30.
🔮 Trump says executing death row inmates 'shouldn't be difficult' on Christa Pike case Donald Trump has responded to the botched execution of Christa Pike, calling it an “interesting situation”. Asked by reporters whether he would push for changes to capital punishment following the failed execution in Tennessee, the US president said the matter was for state authorities.
Also by Isabel Keane
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 52 articles by Isabel Keane →

Topics

Democrat Michigan Muslim Republican Senate

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 11× Michigan GPE · 6× Mohammed PERSON · 6× El-Sayed PERSON · 5× Mike Rogers PERSON · 4× Abdul PERSON · 3× Muslim NORP · 3× Republican NORP · 3× Democrat NORP · 2× Senate ORG · 2×

Narrative

Trump took to Truth Social to praise El-Sayed’s Republican rival Mike Rogers after the pair participated in a televised debate Thursday, writing, “Mike Rogers, the great QAmerican Patriot and Republican Candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, completely obliterated Mohammed El-Sayed [sic] in the big debate tonight.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-11
🔮 If El-Sayed is elected, he would become America’s first Muslim senator.

Claims (32 extracted, 0 hedged)

President Donald Trump raged against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, once again using the wrong name while declaring that he can call the Democrat “whatever the hell I want.” asserted
I → rag → hell
Trump has repeatedly referred to El-Sayed, who is Muslim, as “Mohammed,” when his first name is actually Abdul. asserted
name → refer → Mohammed
The 41-year-old epidemiologist is facing Republican Mike Rogers in the November midterm elections for one of the country’s most consequential Senate races. asserted
epidemiologist → face → races
Trump has frequently lashed out at the progressive Democrat, claiming not to know his name and branding him a “Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country.” asserted
who → lash → Country
If El-Sayed is elected, he would become America’s first Muslim senator. asserted
he → elect → ?
During a midterm campaign rally Saturday in Clarksville, Tennessee, about 50 miles northwest of Nashville, Trump continued his recent raging against El-Sayed. asserted
Trump → continue → Sayed
“These lunatics came in for four years.... asserted
lunatics → come → years
They were destroying our country, and we cannot let them get back in. asserted
them → destroy → country
I call him Mohammed,” Trump said. asserted
Trump → call → him
“Somebody said, ‘HIS NAME ISN’T MOHAMMED,” Trump yelled to the crowd, before quietly acknowledging he does actually know the Democratic hopeful’s real name, telling the crowd: “It’s Abdul.” asserted
It → say → crowd
Despite the omission, Trump still insisted, “To me it’s Mohammed.” asserted
it → insist → me
“I’m the president. asserted
I → ’m → ?
I can call him whatever the hell I want,” he said to cheers and applause from the crowd. asserted
he → call → crowd
“To me, he’s Mohammed, and he’s a radical jihadist. asserted
he → ’ → me
The guy’s a jihadist,” Trump continued ranting before raising his voice again, “ I DON’T WANT A JIHADIST, as a senator from Michigan.” asserted
I → ’ → Michigan
Trump then acknowledged that he won Michigan the three times he ran for president in 2016, 2020 and 2024. asserted
he → acknowledge → 2016
“I won Michigan by the way, by a lot. asserted
I → win → lot
Thank you very much,” he said. asserted
he → thank → you
Trump took to Truth Social to praise El-Sayed’s Republican rival Mike Rogers after the pair participated in a televised debate Thursday, writing, “Mike Rogers, the great QAmerican Patriot and Republican Candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, completely obliterated Mohammed El-Sayed [sic] in the big debate tonight.” asserted
Rogers → take → debate
“If this was a fight, they would have stopped it. asserted
they → stop → it
Mohammad is a Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country, the Black People of Detroit, and wants to see the U.S. fail.” asserted
U.S. → hat → Detroit
“Short on Stature, Patriotism, and Truth, Mohammed’s statements have been loaded up with lies and deceit. asserted
statements → load → lies
I won Michigan BIG, and know that Mike Rogers, a total winner, is the man for you!!!” asserted
Rogers → win → you
Trump had also misnamed El-Sayed, who is a Muslim, in another post earlier in the day, calling him “a terrible Candidate for the Dumocrats,” as well as a “RADICAL Extremist” and “Terrorist Sympathizer.” asserted
who → misname → Dumocrats
El-Sayed responded to the Thursday post in which Trump misnamed him, writing on X, “He knows my name is Abdul. asserted
name → respond → X
He says it every day. asserted
He → say → it
But he’s not just attacking me. asserted
he → attack → me
He’s attacking all of us.” asserted
He → attack → us
“He thinks so low of us. asserted
He → think → us
He thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are inflicting on us at the pump, at the grocery store, and at the doctor’s office. asserted
policies → think → office
He thinks we don’t know any better. asserted
we → think → ?
It’s time for change.” asserted
It → ’ → change
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