Did President Trump say Abdul El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood?
Is Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a member of the Muslim Brotherhood who 'said that years ago', as President Trump claimed (calling him '100%' a Muslim Brotherhood guy)?
False
The claim that Abdul El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood is false.
President Trump's statement that Abdul El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood is false, with no credible evidence supporting it.
GenuineClaims
✕ 2 falseAbdul El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.123
President Trump made a false claim regarding Abdul El-Sayed's alleged membership in the Muslim Brotherhood. While Trump’s statement was accurately captured in video and transcript from Oct. 14-15, 2026, independent fact-checkers—including BridgeDetroit—found no credible evidence to support this assertion. The overarching claim was based on politically motivated discourse rather than verified fact. Multiple mainstream outlets confirmed the president's statement; however, all found the substantive claim baseless, revealing a lack of independent corroboration regarding El-Sayed's connection to the group.
He said that years ago / He was a proud member.38
The claim that Abdul El-Sayed himself declared membership in the Muslim Brotherhood is unsubstantiated. Investigations into El-Sayed’s past statements and affiliations found no public declarations of such membership. Fact-checking organizations continue to find no credible evidence supporting this narrative, indicating it is part of a politically motivated framework rather than a factual assertion.
You can't have a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Congress being on one of our security committees.13
This statement misleads by presupposing the unfounded claim of El-Sayed's membership in the Muslim Brotherhood. While expressing a legitimate concern, the conclusion itself lacks foundation as El-Sayed's alleged membership is unsupported. Decisions regarding committee appointments rely on established criteria and background checks, which are not dictated by opinion-based assertions.
What was posted
XA video of President Trump during a press engagement where he asserts that Abdul El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“.@POTUS on Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed: "He's a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He said that years ago... You can't have a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Congress."”
“.@POTUS on Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed: "He's a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He said that years ago... You can't have a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Congress."” — translated
Who posted it
XAccount check
Estimates from public signals — account age, posting pattern, audience — not a judgement of the person behind the account, and separate from whether this post is true.
What stood out
- Account 'Rapid Response 47' is associated with the White House's official X account, as evidenced by a post on April 7, 2025, addressing false claims about a 90-day tariff pause. (politifact.com)
- The account has been active since at least April 2025, with posts addressing political events and fact-checking claims, indicating a history of engagement in political discourse.
- The account's activity aligns with official White House communications, suggesting it is a legitimate government-affiliated account.
Signals (4)+
- Posting cadence
- Regular
- Follower ratio
- High
- Notable news coverage
- PolitiFact fact-checking the account's posts; White House addressing claims via the account
- Fact check history
- Addressing false claims about a 90-day tariff pause; Fact-checking health care benefits claims
Account checked October 9, 2026, 03:03 UTC
The media
Video✓ What is genuine
The video authentically captures President Trump's comments during a press gaggle.
Synthetic-media detector
Detector unavailableThe claim stands or falls on whether the media is real, so the detector ran.
How we checked the media
- Verified the video matches statements as reported across multiple credible news channels
- Reviewed archived transcripts from reputable outlets
- Confirmed the authenticity of the video from independent corroboration
Sources
8 sources reviewed- 1Donald Trump press gaggle — October 14, 2026 (transcript) ↗
Roll Call (Factbase transcripts) · rollcall.comUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveEvidence
Transcripts document Trump's claims accurately.
- 2Trump: Mike Rogers Is 'Apple Pie,' 'We Don't Need The Muslim Brotherhood As A Senator' | Video ↗
RealClearPolitics (video) · realclearpolitics.comUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveEvidence
Video corroborates the statements made by Trump.
- 3Fact check: No evidence Abdul El-Sayed ‘pledged support’ to Muslim Brotherhood ↗
BridgeDetroit / Bridge Michigan · bridgedetroit.comUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveEvidence
Local fact-checkers report no credible evidence relating El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood.
- 4Trump accuses Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Muslim Brotherhood ties ↗
The National (UAE) · thenationalnews.comUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveContext
The National summarizes Trump's remarks and their implications.
- 5Trump plays Muslim Brotherhood card against Senate candidate El-Sayed ↗
Al Jazeera · aljazeera.netUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveContext
Al Jazeera provides additional context on political accusations.
- 6Trump links Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood ↗
Fox News · foxnews.comLow reliabilityRight (AllSides); partisan — signal onlyContext
Fox News reports the political context surrounding Trump's statements.
- 7AP: A bitter Michigan Senate race rattles Jewish and Muslim voters ↗
Associated Press · apnews.comPrimary / fact-checkerwire + AP Fact Check (Tier A)Context
AP reports on public reactions to Trump's accusations.
- 8Fact-check — The Detroit / Bridge Michigan (republished) ↗
The Detroit / Bridge Michigan (republished) · thedetroit.orgUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveEvidence
The Detroit/Bridge Michigan also finds no evidence supporting the claims.
Further reading
- 1Roll Call (Factbase transcripts) The transcript provides context for Trump's comments and allows verification of his statements.
- 3BridgeDetroit / Bridge Michigan BridgeDetroit's fact-check provides insights into the lack of evidence supporting the claims.
- 4The National (UAE) National coverage helps contextualize the political implications of Trump's statements.
The full story
President Trump made a significant statement regarding Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed during a press gaggle at Laughlin Bullhead International Airport on October 14-15, 2026. He claimed that El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a serious accusation that has sparked concern and debate. The statement was widely circulated, and various news outlets promptly covered the incident. However, independent fact-checkers have thoroughly examined the claim and found no credible evidence supporting Trump's assertion. Instead, they traced the origin of the allegation to politically motivated attacks on El-Sayed's candidacy in Michigan, revealing a context filled with partisan bias and misinformation surrounding the ongoing Senate race.
How it was framed
This content misleads by implying a factual basis for an allegation that lacks credible evidence.
- Urgency. The tone of the claim implies an immediate need for action against alleged members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Congress.
- Emotional language. Words like 'can't' create a strong emotional reaction against perceived threats.
Bias
Leans anti-Muslim / partisan attack. The clip presents repeated allegations about a candidate's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood — a known Islamophobic trope — framed by the sitting president in a campaign context. Multiple outlets describe the remarks as part of a political effort to portray the candidate as an extremist.
Bias describes how the post frames its message — the slant of the language, selection and emphasis — and is judged separately from whether the claim is true. A true claim can still be framed with a strong slant.
How we checked
4 min 7 s- 1
Executed searches to find transcripts and reports from reputable news sources.
- 2
Reviewed videos and reports from multiple credible outlets that captured the claims.
- 3
Analyzed fact-checking research that evaluated the legitimacy of the claims made.
✓ Claim checked✓ Media checked✓ Sources checked
Why 86% confidence
HighWe are confident in our high-band rating due to the multiple corroborating sources disputing the claim, as well as the degree of independent analysis conducted.
Limits. We could not conduct a more extensive search for potentially missing independent reports on the claim.
What we don’t know
- What further impact the false claim may have on Abdul El-Sayed's campaign.
- Whether other unverified claims will emerge during the Senate race.
- The potential for new evidence or claims to surface surrounding similar accusations.
Spot it yourself
Spot the fakeLooks suspicious, isn’t proof
- The speaker is a well-known political figure.
- The phrasing sounds alarmist, aiming to provoke a response.
- The claim references a controversial group known for political and cultural tensions.
The actual evidence
- Multiple credible sources confirm Trump made the statement.
- Fact-checkers found no credible evidence linking El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood.
- The context reveals a largely political motive behind the allegation.
- 1
Check the speaker's credibility.
Research their history and context of their statements.
- 2
Investigate claims against individuals.
Look for independent fact-checking sources related to the claims.
- 3
Consider the context.
Assess how the message fits into the larger political narrative.
Takeaway
Always verify claims made by prominent figures, especially in politically charged contexts, and look for credible evidence supporting their assertions.
Questions people ask
What evidence suggests Trump’s claim is false?+
Independent fact-checkers and multiple news outlets found no credible evidence that El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, making the claim false.
Why was Trump's statement seen as misleading?+
The statement was built on an unsupported claim about El-Sayed's membership, which lacks factual evidence, making it misleading.
What are the implications of such claims in political discourse?+
Such claims can polarize communities and distort public perception, especially when they lack substantiated evidence.
Go deeper
- fact-checking
- The process of verifying factual assertions in statements or claims.
- politically motivated
- Claims or actions driven by political motives rather than facts.
- misleading content
- Information that gives a false impression or distorts the truth.
People also search for
For educators+
- How do misinformation and political propaganda affect democracy?
- What are effective strategies for critically evaluating news sources?
- What role can social media play in spreading or combating false claims?
About this check
- Platform
- X
- Posted by
- @RapidResponse47
- Posted
- October 14, 2026
- Age when checked
- Older post, still live
- Where it spread
- United States
- Audience
- US audience
- Language
- EN
- Status
- ● Post is live
- Verified
- October 17, 2026, 15:32 UTC
- Published
- October 17, 2026, 15:32 UTC
Reach. 13,215 likes / 392 replies (X syndication, 17 Oct); Trump repeated '100%' at Rose Garden 15 Oct; coverage by The National, Fox News, Daily Wire, SCMP 15-16 Oct
This verdict was generated with AI from the sources shown. AI can make mistakes — check the sources before relying on it.
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