It’s the Economy, You Moron. Not the Brotherhood.

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

October 26, 2026

Source: BBC News

Trump invokes 9/11 to attack Abdul El-Sayed, but the Michigan Senate candidate is talking about groceries, gas prices and health care — the bills Americans must pay every day.

On Sunday, Donald Trump offered no evidence whatsoever establishing that Abdul El-Sayed was a terrorist or had ties to extremist violence, yet brought the memory of September 11, 2001, into Michigan’s Senate race, using the terrorist attacks to launch a personal assault on the Democratic candidate. At a rally in Port Huron, Trump called El-Sayed a “jihadist,” accused him of being a Muslim Brotherhood member, and invoked Todd Beamer, one of the passengers who fought back against the hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93. Trump warned that electing El-Sayed would put a threat inside the US Capitol. 

It was a filthy way to campaign against a democratic Socialist opponent seeking to represent Michigan in the United States Senate, but Trump is filthy, no doubt about it. So, he went further, suggesting that El-Sayed should have to pass through a metal detector before entering the Senate. The Mule's message was unmistakable: instead of debating the candidate’s proposals or his political ideology, Trump sought to associate this specific target with terrorism and national insecurity. Critics condemned the remarks as Islamophobic, while El-Sayed has repeatedly denied any connection to the Muslim Brotherhood. 

But El-Sayed has been trying to talk about something much closer to home for millions of Americans: the cost of living. “They think that by pointing at my name and my faith, that somehow you're going to ignore the fact that you can't afford your gas or your groceries, can't see a doctor,” he said. It is a direct challenge to a political strategy that puts a candidate’s religious identity at the centre of the debate while the middle and poor classes struggle to cover basic expenses, due to Trump's oligarchic policies.

The former public health official has built his campaign around affordability, health care and the influence of wealthy donors in politics, not religion. In an earlier interview with CBS, El-Sayed described the questions Michiganders ask themselves: How will they pay for groceries and rent? Can they afford a home? What happens if they get sick? His platform includes Medicare for All and efforts to reduce the influence of corporate money in elections. Voters may agree or disagree with his proposed solutions, but these are concrete policy questions that can be debated on their merits. 

Senator Bernie Sanders, who appeared alongside El-Sayed at a rally, offered his own explanation for the attacks.

“The reason they are using Islamophobia against Abdul is because they have nothing to say about the real issues,” Sanders said.

That is a political argument pointing to the central contrast in this campaign: one side is emphasising household expenses and health care, while the president has chosen to put terrorism and religious identity at the centre of his attack.

El-Sayed answered Trump's use of his middle name, Mohamed, with a line of his own: “I'll be Senator Mohamed to you, bro.” The response rejected the suggestion that his name or Muslim faith should place his American identity under suspicion. Born in the United States to Egyptian parents, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate if he wins the November 3 election. He has publicly stated that he has no ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and rejected attempts to question his loyalty to the country. 

The stakes extend beyond one candidate. Michigan is a closely contested state, and the Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers is among those that could help determine control of Congress. Trump won Michigan in 2024, and Arab American voters have been an important constituency in the state's recent political contests. The president's decision to invoke 9/11 in this campaign therefore raises a question about what voters are being asked to judge: a candidate's actual policies and record, or an image of danger built around his religion and name. 

You know, there is a simple test for political debate. Ask candidates what they will do about prices, wages, housing and health care. Examine their proposals, their records and the evidence behind their claims. A candidate should answer for his own actions and statements, not be treated as guilty by association.

September 11 was a national tragedy, not a licence to smear political opponents.

And invoking the memory of those who died cannot make groceries cheaper, reduce rent or help a family pay for a doctor's visit. In Michigan, those are the issues El-Sayed says voters should be discussing. It's the economy, you moron. Not the Brotherhood.