Donald Trump has intensified Islamophobic rhetoric and unsubstantiated conspiracy claims at his final campaign rallies before the US midterm elections, attacking Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed and Representative Ilhan Omar.
Speaking in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday, the president repeated his description of Mr El-Sayed, a Michigan candidate, as a “jihadist” and joked that the Senate would need a special metal detector if he were elected.
“We’ll have a hundred senators, and most of them will go directly [into the Senate]… We’re gonna have to get a special metal detector for Abdul,” Mr Trump told supporters, prompting laughter.
He also repeated an unfounded claim that Mr El-Sayed belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, parts of which the US has designated foreign “terrorist” organisations.
Mr Trump separately targeted Ms Omar, a Minnesota representative, repeating an allegation without evidence that she was previously married to her brother and had children with him.
The rallies had been cancelled the previous week before being suddenly rescheduled. They are expected to be Mr Trump’s final travelling campaign events before Americans vote on November 3.
At both events, he urged Republicans to turn out and vote, telling supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” as polling suggested the party could face a difficult election.
Both speeches were interrupted several times by hecklers. In Iowa, Mr Trump said he would “love” Democratic Representative Haley Stevens to change parties after she endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, having lost to Mr El-Sayed in the primary.
In Kansas, he criticised Democratic Senate hopeful Adam Hamilton, a church pastor, over his support for trans rights. Mr Trump called him a “stiff” who reads his sermons from teleprompters.
Two closely watched Senate races
Iowa and Kansas are represented mostly by Republican lawmakers, but polling indicates that Democrats could take both states.
Kansas has five federal congressional seats at stake, including one Senate seat and all four House seats. The state last elected a Democratic senator in 1932.
The Iowa Senate contest is too close to call, while polling suggests two state representative seats being contested in the midterms are leaning Democrat.
Mr Trump’s speeches also focused on the US-Israel war on Iran, the cost of living, immigration, alleged media bias against him and the administration of former president Joe Biden.
