US President Donald Trump has criticised Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, while repeating unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud following the state’s primary election.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump described El-Sayed as a “Communist, who is not liked in Detroit,” and alleged, without providing evidence, that voting in Wayne County was corrupt.
“Wayne County (Detroit) in Michigan is one of the most corrupt voting areas in the United States, if not the World,” Trump wrote.
“It is strictly Third World! Miracles happen in Wayne County, including more votes being cast than there are voters, by a lot.”
El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination after defeating Representative Haley Stevens in Tuesday’s primary. Stevens conceded on Wednesday morning after a closer-than-expected race.
Trump also claimed Republicans would need to overcome election fraud in November, writing: “The Radical Left Socialist has a real shot, and don’t discount all of those fake mail-in ballots that will ‘surprisingly’ show up at the last moment.”
On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice said it had deployed poll watchers to voting sites in Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing and East Lansing to monitor compliance with federal election laws.
Michigan’s Senate race is expected to be one of the most closely watched contests in the November election.
