Trump Compared Blocking El-Sayed From the Senate to the Flight 93 Passengers' Fight
On Sunday, President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, questioning the Muslim candidate's loyalties to the United States and trying to tie him to extremism — allegations El-Sayed has repeatedly denied and denounced.
Trump invoked the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, drawing a comparison between stopping El-Sayed from entering the Senate and the passengers who fought back against the hijackers aboard United Flight 93.
El-Sayed, a former public health official, has repeatedly said he is loyal to the U.S. and disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic movement with branches the U.S. government has designated as terrorist organizations.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
Trump's attack is framed around loyalty, and El-Sayed has repeatedly denied it. A denial can answer a charge; can it answer a frame?
Rogers gave the loyalty question a blunter form in the final debate, asking El-Sayed whether he was for America or “these terrorist groups overseas.” That is not just a frame; it is a direct accusation.