Trump Intensifies Islamophobic Rhetoric and Conspiracy Theories in Final Midterm Election Rallies

United States President Donald Trump has intensified his use of Islamophobic rhetoric and conspiracy theories targeting the Democratic Party during campaign events in Iowa and Kansas, just days before the crucial US midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the final two years of his presidency. At both rallies on Sunday, the president reiterated his assertion that Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Michigan, is a "jihadist." He further quipped that if El-Sayed were elected, the Senate would need to install special metal detectors for him. "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," Trump stated, eliciting laughter from the audience. He also repeated unsubstantiated claims that El-Sayed is affiliated with the transnational Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that the US has designated as a foreign "terrorist" group. At both events, Trump strongly encouraged his supporters to vote, asking them to "pretend I’m on the ballot" in an effort to galvanize Republican voters ahead of what polls indicate could be a challenging election for the party. These two rallies, initially canceled last week, were abruptly rescheduled and marked Trump’s final campaign appearances before the election. Both speeches were disrupted by hecklers on multiple occasions. In Iowa, the president expressed his wish that Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost to Abdul El-Sayed in the primaries, would switch parties, following her endorsement of El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. Trump also criticized US Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, alleging without evidence that she was previously married to her brother and had children with him. In Kansas, Trump attacked Democratic Senate hopeful Adam Hamilton, a pastor, for his support of transgender rights, describing him as a "stiff" who reads his sermons from teleprompters. The US-Israel conflict with Iran, the rising cost of living, immigration issues, perceived media bias against him, and the policies of former President Joe Biden were also prominent themes in Trump’s speeches. The article also highlights two critical races where, despite Iowa and Kansas typically leaning Republican, polls suggest Democrats have a chance to win. Kansas has five federal congressional seats contested in the midterms, including one Senate seat and all four House seats; the state has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. In Iowa, the Senate race is too close to call, and polling indicates that two Iowa state representative seats are leaning Democrat. The US midterm elections are scheduled for November 3.