Trump misnames Muslim Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as ‘Mohammed’ - The Times of Israel
Trump criticized El-Sayed online, used the wrong first name, and accused him of sympathizing with extremists.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates timesofisrael.com, where this article appeared. The other scores rate the article itself.
The Times of Israel is an established news publisher, and the byline credits AFP as well as its own staff. The article identifies its sources for the exchange, though the short report offers limited independent corroboration of the accusations.
- Source type — Established international news publisher with an identifiable newsroom.
- Author attribution — The byline credits AFP and Times of Israel staff.
- Editorial standards — The report attributes the competing statements to their speakers and identifies the social media post and campaign event.
- Transparency — The article names the people and context but gives little detail about independent verification of the allegations.
The report gives direct quotations from the post and campaign event and supplies election context. It is brief and does not independently substantiate the accusations or include a response from Trump beyond the post itself.
HOW WE SCORE ↗Both sides’ statements appear, but the report is built around El-Sayed’s response and provides little verification or additional context for Trump’s accusations.
- Counterarguments presented — Trump’s attack and El-Sayed’s response are both quoted, but there is no further response from Trump.
- Source diversity — The account relies chiefly on the social media post and the candidate’s campaign remarks.
- Omitted context — The report does not independently assess the allegations of ties to Islamist groups.
- Loaded language — Charged phrases are presented as attributed quotations rather than the article’s own assertions.
The article reports the exchange in mostly straightforward language, attributing the attacks and response to Trump and El-Sayed. It gives some campaign context without endorsing either side.
- Language tone — The report largely uses neutral attribution, while quoting the participants’ charged language.
- Source selection — The exchange is represented through Trump’s post and El-Sayed’s public response.
- Framing — The article centers the name error and exchange, with race context rather than an explicit verdict.
Original publisher not identified
This article credits another publisher, which ChamberLight has not identified, so the scores are timesofisrael.com's own.
Donald Trump attacked Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on social media and called him “Mohammed”; El-Sayed responded at a campaign event by saying Trump might be “struggling.” Their exchange comes amid a close race with potential implications for control of the Senate.
Trump accused El-Sayed of being a “RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer” and referred to him as “Mohammed” in a social media post. At a campaign event in Grand Rapids, El-Sayed joked that Trump might be struggling and said his name was Abdul. The article notes that El-Sayed’s middle name is Mohamed, though he does not use it publicly.
El-Sayed is running against Republican Mike Rogers in a close Michigan Senate race. The article says the seat is important to Democrats’ hopes of regaining the Senate and describes Trump and his supporters as accusing El-Sayed and his family of ties to Islamist groups. It also lists El-Sayed’s platform and supporters.
Community verdict
15 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →President who attacked El-Sayed on social media
Michigan Senate candidate responding to Trump's social media attack
El-Sayed's version of this story ↗Delaware senator who joined El-Sayed at a campaign event
Michigan senator mentioned in the history of the state’s other Senate seat
Senator listed among El-Sayed’s supporters
Republican Senate candidate opposing El-Sayed in Michigan
Representative listed among El-Sayed’s supporters
Senator listed among El-Sayed’s supporters
Part of a bigger story
4 OUTLETSOutlets agree Trump praised Mike Rogers after the Michigan Senate debate and criticized Abdul El-Sayed in social media posts. Left-leaning outlets frame Trump’s post as an escalation and highlight Rogers’s allegation about El-Sayed’s mother. Right-leaning outlets foreground Trump’s praise of Rogers and include El-Sayed’s view that the posts divert attention from policy.
- ARTICLES
- 4
- OUTLETS
- 4
- AVG CRED
- 72
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