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).
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
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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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name → respond → X
He says it every day.
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He → say → it
But he’s not just attacking me.
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he → attack → me
He’s attacking all of us.”
asserted
He → attack → us
“He thinks so low of us.
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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