Rogers says he does not speak for Trump on the jihadist remark
Mike RogersRepublican U.S. Senate nominee in Michigan, interviewed on CNN's State of the Union
Rogers declines to say whether he disagrees with Trump calling El-Sayed a jihadist, saying he does not speak for the president.
“Listen, I -- listen, I don't speak for the president. I don't represent the president. The president is going to do what he's going to do.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Trump calls Abdul El-Sayed "Mohammed" and a jihadist; El-Sayed says Trump knows his name is Abdul
President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as Mohammed, starting with a Truth Social post late on October 7, 2026, that said "Mohammed goes back to the days of the Jihad" and called him a terrorist sympathizer. At an October 16 rally in Dalton, Georgia, Trump said he had taken heat for the name, that as president he can call El-Sayed whatever he wants, and that El-Sayed's middle name is Mohammad. He also called El-Sayed a jihadist. El-Sayed says Trump knows his name is Abdul and is using his name and faith to distract voters.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
CNN rush transcript of State of the Union, which aired October 18, 2026. Bash plays a clip of Trump's October 16 rally remarks about El-Sayed and asks Rogers whether he is comfortable with Trump calling El-Sayed a jihadist. Rush transcripts may be revised.
Before the quotation
Bash played a clip of Trump's October 16 rally remarks saying El-Sayed's middle name is Mohamed and calling him a jihadist, and asked Rogers, a former FBI special agent, whether he was comfortable with that. Rogers said he had never called El-Sayed a terrorist and turned to El-Sayed's family's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Bash said she wanted to go back to what the president said.
After the quotation
Asked whether he wished Trump had not called El-Sayed a jihadist, Rogers said he was running his race in Michigan and that people there were worried about other issues.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Trump's remarks calling El-Sayed Mohammed and a jihadist, Rogers says he has never called El-Sayed a terrorist himself, but when Bash asks whether he disagrees with Trump, he declines to answer and says he does not speak for the president.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseEl-Sayed's ad says his name is Abdul and that it means servant
“My name is Abdul, it means servant. I pray every day. I reflect on my role in this life, on this earth. How we leave it better than we found it”Read statement
Tarlov calls the Republican closing message Islamophobia
“Closing message from Republicans being straight up Islamophobia is a terrible choice. Calling Abdul Mohammed, saying he's Muslim brotherhood, saying he may have assimilated but so was the Fort Hood shooter is disgusting stuff.”Read statement
Trump says he can call El-Sayed whatever he wants
“I don't care. I'm the president of the United States. I can call you whatever the hell I want. I can call you whatever I want, Mohammed.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Rogers says he does not speak for Trump on the jihadist remark
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/6647-rogers-declines-to-say-whether-he-disagrees-with
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Rogers says he does not speak for Trump on the jihadist remark". First published: 2026-10-24. Last updated: 2026-10-24. https://disputeindex.com/events/6647-rogers-declines-to-say-whether-he-disagrees-with