{"id":16075,"date":"2026-07-24T21:18:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=16075"},"modified":"2026-07-24T21:18:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:18:02","slug":"michigan-senate-candidate-el-sayed-claims-trump-incited-terrorism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=16075","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed claims Trump incited terrorism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907701\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/midwest\/michigan\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Senate in Michigan<\/a>, once accused President Donald Trump of inciting terrorism in a 2020 interview, citing a foiled plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">&#8220;These are terrorists; we have to call them that. We have to recognize that that is what the face of terrorism looks like right now. We have to step up against it,&#8221; El-Sayed said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We gotta ask: why are these people getting radicalized? Well, there must be some radical, extremist cleric out there who may be tweeting up a storm about all the things that they think need to be done, like liberating Michigan.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">El-Sayed\u2019s comments come as he wages a tight <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907702\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/left-wing-activists-heckle-pro-israel-democrat-haley-stevens-michigan-convention\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">primary race against Rep. Haley Stevens<\/a>, D-Mich., with the Aug. 4 primary now less than a month away. His remarks also raise questions about his views on political rhetoric and its connection to violence.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907703\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/michigan-senate-candidate-abdul-el-sayed-dodges-question-whether-he-still-supports-defunding-police\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED DODGES QUESTION ON WHETHER HE STILL SUPPORTS DEFUNDING THE POLICE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/abdul-el-sayed-standing-in-front-of-podium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/abdul-el-sayed-standing-in-front-of-podium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/abdul-el-sayed-standing-in-front-of-podium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/abdul-el-sayed-standing-in-front-of-podium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/abdul-el-sayed-standing-in-front-of-podium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Abdul El-Sayed\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Abdul El-Sayed, candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks before U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., takes the stage at Mumford High School on May 3, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.<\/span> <span>(Sarah Rice\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">His comments reference a foiled plan to kidnap Whitmer that first surfaced in 2020.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">A group of men associated with anti-government and militia circles, including the Wolverine Watchmen, allegedly planned to kidnap the governor from her vacation home in northern Michigan in an effort to end her COVID-19 restrictions.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The plot was foiled in October by <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907704\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/tech\/topics\/fbi\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">law enforcement<\/a> before any attempt was ever made.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Notably, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907705\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/24\/us\/whitmer-kidnapping-trial.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">The New York Times later reported<\/a> that four of the 12 people charged in the alleged plot had been government agents or informants, prompting accusations of entrapment.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Although President Donald Trump did not call for any kind of violence against Whitmer, El-Sayed said he believed the president was at least partially responsible, pointing to a tweet Trump had made six months before the discovered plot.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907706\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/watch-surfaced-videos-dem-senate-candidate-backing-defund-police-contradict-recent-denials\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>WATCH: SURFACED VIDEOS OF DEM SENATE CANDIDATE BACKING &#8216;DEFUND THE POLICE&#8217; CONTRADICT RECENT DENIALS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/343\/192\/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-february-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/686\/384\/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-february-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/672\/378\/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-february-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1344\/756\/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-february-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1200\/675\/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-february-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer listens as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. representative for New York&#8217;s 14th congressional district, speaks during a townhall panel on U.S. foreign policy at the 62nd Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2026 in Munich, Germany.<\/span> <span>(Sean Gallup\/Getty Images))<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;LIBERATE MICHIGAN!&#8221; Trump wrote in a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907707\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201105145604\/https:\/twitter.com\/realdonaldtrump\/status\/1251169217531056130\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">post on Twitter<\/a>, the social media platform now known as X. The post was one of a series calling to &#8220;liberate&#8221; Virginia and Minnesota from COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Democratic governors. According to FBI comments to local media, the plot originated before Trump&#8217;s post.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">El-Sayed called the posts emblematic of a cultural toxicity that had made violence more likely.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907708\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;The idea that people would threaten her safety because she was willing to stand up to keep us all healthy is, to me, the example of what the kind of toxicity that we see out of Donald Trump creates,&#8221; El-Sayed said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;And right now, the threat we are seeing is radical, far-right White Supremacy and <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907709\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/terrorism\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the terrorists<\/a> who would undo our society\u2019s basic norms and mores.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_4907710\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/dsa-member-leads-dem-primary-midwest-battleground-trails-likely-gop-nominee-poll\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>DSA MEMBER LEADS DEM PRIMARY IN MIDWEST BATTLEGROUND BUT TRAILS LIKELY GOP NOMINEE: POLL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"abdul-el-sayed\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at The People V. The Powerful rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.<\/span> <span>(Sarah Rice\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">El-Sayed\u2019s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital&#8217;s requests for comment on whether his position on Trump&#8217;s rhetoric had changed in light of The New York Times reporting.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">El-Sayed will face off against Stevens in the state\u2019s Aug. 4 primaries.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Michigan, once accused President Donald Trump of inciting terrorism in a 2020 interview, citing a foiled plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. &#8220;These are terrorists; we have to call them that. We have to recognize that that is what&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}