Trump’s Final Rallies Double Down on Islamophobia and Conspiracy
In Iowa and Kansas, Trump repeated unfounded attacks on Muslim politicians and urged supporters to vote as midterms loom.
President Donald Trump took the stage in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday, using his final campaign stops before the midterm elections to repeat Islamophobic rhetoric and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Democratic opponents.
At both rallies, Trump re‑asserted his claim that Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El‑Sayed of Michigan is a “jihadist.” He added a joke about needing a “special metal detector” for the candidate, saying, “We’ll have a hundred senators, and most of them will go directly … We’re gonna have to get a special metal detector for Abdul,” which drew laughter from the crowd.
Trump also repeated unfounded allegations that El‑Sayed belongs to the transnational Muslim Brotherhood, a group the United States has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
In Iowa, the president suggested he would “love” Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost to El‑Sayed in the primary, to switch parties after she endorsed El‑Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.
Both speeches featured attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota; Trump claimed, without evidence, that she was previously married to her brother and had children with him.
In Kansas, Trump targeted Democratic Senate hopeful Adam Hamilton, a church pastor, accusing him of supporting trans rights and calling him a “stiff” who reads his sermons from teleprompters.
Beyond personal attacks, Trump raised the US‑Israel war on Iran, the cost of living, immigration, perceived media bias, and the administration of former President Joe Biden as central themes.
The rallies, which had been cancelled the previous week, were abruptly rescheduled and became Trump’s last travelling events before the election. Both venues experienced multiple interruptions from hecklers.
Polling suggests the midterms could be challenging for Republicans, with Democrats potentially flipping both Iowa and Kansas. Kansas has five federal seats up for election, including one Senate seat, and has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. In Iowa, the Senate race is too close to call, but two state representative seats appear to lean Democratic.
Trump concluded each rally by urging his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and get out to vote, aiming to energize the Republican base ahead of what polls indicate could be a bruising election for the party.
