Critics on social media ripped into President Donald Trump on Friday after he made even more inflammatory remarks about Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, urging voters to “send him back.”
“You outta vote for Mike Rogers, not that other guy, because he doesn’t like Jewish people and he doesn’t like Black people,” Trump said at a rally in Florida. “I’m talking about Abdul. Abdul is not a big fan of Jewish people, and he’s not a big fan of Black people. And I hope you’re gonna vote against him and send him back to where he came from.”
Trump has maintained a string of Islamophobic attacks against El-Sayed that suggest that he is not American — but many commenters pointed out that El-Sayed was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Trump has made similar statements in the past about various Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) The latter three congresswomen were all born in the U.S.
Trump comments on Friday echo those made by Vice President JD Vance earlier this month.
“You deserve better than a little weasel who should shut his mouth and show a little gratitude to the country that gave him everything,” Vance said at the time.
Read more reactions to Trump’s statement here: