Michigan GOP Senate Nominee Rogers Rejects Trump's Terrorism Label for El Sayed
The public split between Rogers and Trump over campaign rhetoric introduces a measurable tension between the Republican nominee and his party's leader in a competitive Senate race.
Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers stated on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on October 25, 2026, that he has never called Democratic opponent Abdul el Sayed a terrorist, directly distancing himself from language used by President Donald Trump. Rogers told host Kristen Welker, 'I've never called him a terrorist,' according to a Washington Examiner report published the same day.
The exchange followed Trump's use of the phrase 'vicious, violent jihadist' to describe el Sayed, a physician and former candidate for Michigan governor in 2018. Welker pressed Rogers directly on whether Trump's characterization met his own standard. Rogers declined to endorse the language, according to the Washington Examiner account of the interview.
El Sayed, a Democrat, is running for the Michigan U.S. Senate seat in the November 2026 midterm election. The seat is currently competitive. El Sayed has not publicly responded to the Trump characterization as of the time of this report, and his campaign's formal reply, if any, is not yet part of the public record.
Rogers, a former Republican congressman who represented Michigan's 8th Congressional District from 2001 to 2015, and a former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, won the Republican primary to face el Sayed. His primary win was covered in Michigan election filings available through the Michigan Secretary of State.
Trump's statement characterizing el Sayed as a 'vicious, violent jihadist' has not been sourced to a specific dated filing or official statement in the available public record as of October 25, 2026. The Washington Examiner account refers to Trump making the claim, but the exact venue, date, and format of Trump's original statement remain unconfirmed in the source material reviewed for this report. A review of White House press releases or Trump campaign communications would clarify the origin of the remark.
El Sayed is a Muslim American of Egyptian descent. He earned his medical degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, according to his 2018 gubernatorial campaign materials on file with the Michigan Secretary of State. Civil rights organizations have previously documented concerns about the use of terms such as 'jihadist' applied to Muslim American political candidates as a campaign tactic, though no specific complaint or legal filing against Trump's statement in this race is part of the public record at this time.
Rogers' decision to decline alignment with Trump's framing is notable in the context of the 2026 midterm cycle, in which Republican candidates in competitive states have generally maintained close public association with the president. Whether Rogers' position on this specific issue affects fundraising or organizational support from Trump-aligned groups is not yet reflected in Federal Election Commission filings, which would capture contributions through the most recent reporting deadline.
Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa appeared on CBS News' 'Face the Nation' on the same date, according to a CBS News transcript, indicating that multiple competitive state-level races are drawing national media attention in the final days before the November 2026 election. The content of Hinojosa's interview is detailed in the CBS News transcript but does not directly bear on the Michigan Senate race.
What remains unknown includes the specific venue and exact date of Trump's original 'vicious, violent jihadist' statement, whether the Trump campaign has issued any response to Rogers' public distancing, and whether any formal complaint has been filed with the FEC or any other body regarding the characterization of el Sayed. FEC disbursement and contribution records for both the Rogers and el Sayed campaigns through the October 2026 quarterly filing deadline would also clarify the financial standing of each candidate heading into election day.