President Donald Trump didn’t take long to attack Abdul El-Sayed, the winner of Michigan’s Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate race, as “a man of hate” who was “full of sh-t.”
During a campaign-like event in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, Trump accused the 41-year-old progressive Democrat seeking to become the first Muslim U.S. Senator of being a “communist” who “hates” Israel and Jewish people.
“This guy hates Jews. Somebody said, ‘Oh that’s a little strong.’ No, he hates Jews and he hates Israel,” Trump said.
Trump continued: “He’s a man of hate, and now he’s going around saying, ‘No, I love everybody.’ He doesn’t love everybody. Put him in office, you’re going to find out what he loves.”
El-Sayed previously told TIME that he does not consider himself a socialist or communist, saying, “I actually think that at the small and local scale, capitalism is a great way to allocate resources, as long as everybody has access to it.” He has also rejected accusations of antisemitism, repeating on Wednesday, “My commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters.”
Trump had earlier claimed on social media that El-Sayed’s primary victory was “great news” for the Republican Party, while he also without evidence suggested that there were voter irregularities in Michigan and that the general election could be “rigged.”
Speaking to CNN Wednesday evening, El-Sayed clarified that he was “opposed to unconditional military aid for any country,” including Israel, and that taxpayer dollars should instead go to services like healthcare, schools, and roads.
As for Trump’s attacks, El-Sayed joked that he’s “glad” Trump at one point called him a “lovely gentleman;” El-Sayed added: “a lot of people think so.” But El-Sayed also called on Trump to refocus his priorities.
“We’re living through an affordability crisis that is generational, people are paying nearly $5 in gas because of a war he started, and half the time, if he’s not talking about me, he’s talking about the drapes in his ballroom,” El-Sayed said. “So at the end of the day, I invite the President to focus on what I’m saying.”
