Donald Trump has found a new way to attack politicians he doesn’t like: by bringing up their marriages in his political fights.
On Saturday, the 80-year-old president posted several messages on his social media platform, Truth Social, including one aimed at Abdul El-Sayed, a 41-year-old candidate for the Democratic Senate seat in Michigan, and his wife.
The post showed a picture of Trump and his wife, Melania, next to a photo of El-Sayed and his wife, Dr.
Sarah Jukaku.The two couples were placed side by side with a caption that had many spelling mistakes: “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s.” Trump also used El-Sayed’s full name, “Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed,” which is similar to how he often refers to Barack Obama by his middle name, “Hussein.”
When asked about Trump’s comments on CNN’s State of the Union show on Sunday, El-Sayed agreed that the two marriages reflect “two very different Americas,” but he turned the comment back on Trump.
He described Trump’s marriage as one between “two people who don’t like each other” but are connected by their shared goal of making “billions of dollars off of you.” In contrast, he said his marriage to Jukaku is based on real love, family, and even shared moments like eating pancakes together.
The Daily Beast has contacted El-Sayed’s team for a response.
El-Sayed won the Democratic primary in Michigan on Tuesday, defeating Rep.
Haley Stevens, who was backed by the party’s traditional leaders, and caused anger among supporters of the MAGA movement.
Trump’s MAGA supporters have taken issue with El-Sayed’s use of the phrase “inshallah,” which means “God willing” in Arabic, during his speech after his election-night victory.
If El-Sayed wins the general election in November, he would be the first Muslim senator in U.S.history.
Trump and his MAGA allies have criticized El-Sayed, even calling him “full of s–t” and warning voters about his plan to end the filibuster.
However, these attacks have not affected El-Sayed, who has dismissed the president’s false claims.
El-Sayed and Jukaku have been married since their time at the University of Michigan, and they got engaged while she was still a freshman.
In a 2006 article for The Michigan Daily, the couple talked about some of the traditions they followed as American Muslims.
El-Sayed told the outlet at the time, “Islam teaches us not to let our desires play too much of a role in our lives.
The fact that we’re so willing to commit to marriage is a byproduct of this general self-control.”
Jukaku, a psychiatrist and the daughter of Indian immigrants, is also featured in El-Sayed’s book, Healing Politics: A Doctor’s Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic.
In the book, El-Sayed talks about how his wife helped him learn to “dance” with his emotions.
According to his campaign, Jukaku and El-Sayed have two daughters named Emmalee and Serene.
Meanwhile, Trump and Melania have been married since 2005 and have one son, Barron.
This is Trump’s third marriage.He was previously married to Ivana Trump, with whom he has three children, and Marla Maples, with whom he has a daughter named Tiffany.
A new book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, says Trump does not share the traditional White House master bedroom with his wife.
Instead, Melania lives in the primary bedroom, while Trump uses the space next to it, which is usually labeled as the second-floor “living room” on White House maps.
During his CNN appearance on Sunday, El-Sayed said, “Sarah and I like each other.
I don’t know about the first lady and the president, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a bit of a rocky road.”
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