U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a sharp attack on Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee who won the primary for the Michigan Senate seat, calling his victory "great news" for the Republican Party ahead of the upcoming general elections in November.
Trump, in a post on the "Truth Social" platform, described Abdul El-Sayed as a "failed communist who hates Jews and Israel," while also criticizing Democratic Party policies and pre-election polls, claiming they misstated the race outcomes.
Trump's comments came after El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination, defeating his rival Haley Stevens, setting him up for a general election showdown with Republican candidate Mike Rogers, whom the U.S. president supports.
In response, Abdul El-Sayed called for Democratic Party unity to take on Rogers, asserting that Rogers does not deserve to represent Michigan in the Senate.
El-Sayed, an American doctor of Egyptian descent, is one of the rising figures in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Born in 1985 to Egyptian immigrant parents, he graduated from the University of Michigan, obtained his medical degree from Columbia University, and earned a doctorate from Oxford University.
The Michigan race carries significant weight in the mid-term elections as the state is a swing state that both parties rely on in their battle for control of the U.S. Senate.