Dingell: Trump Trying to Put a Target on 'People of Different Faiths' Backs 

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “News Central,” Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) said President Donald Trump is trying to “put targets on people’s backs” by calling Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed a jihadist.

Host Kate Bolduan said, “One of the themes that the president has hit on over and over again, no matter where he is campaigning, is bringing it back to the Senate race in Michigan and focusing and attacking the Democratic candidate in the race, Abdul El-Sayed. Let me play what he did when he was in Ohio.

Monday at a rally in Ohio, Trump said, “These people are crazy what they want to do to our country. You look at the guy running in Michigan. He’s a jihadist. He’s a jihadist. And you know what bothers me? Even the mainstream. But the media gives him so much publicity. They give him so much publicity that’s, you know, really terrible running against a very good candidate, very, very strong, very good. Mike Rogers, very good candidate. But this guy is a jihadist.”

Bolduan said, “That was in Ohio. And the president posted again last night, just about El-Sayed, writing, why would black people vote for—he called him Mohamed El-Sayed—when he openly scorns them, mocks them and disrespects them. They won’t. What is your reaction to this?”

Dingell said, “I’m sick of the division and the hatred. I think that what the president is doing there is, is putting kerosene on a fire of going after people of different faiths and different colors. And our responsibilities as chief executive officer of this country is to try to pull people together, not to scare people, not to cause more hate and division and actually put targets on people’s backs. This country was founded where all faiths are respected and our differences are what unite us. So I know what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to scare people. He’s trying to put a target on their back.”

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