By Salma El-Sakka
Donald Trump's midterm campaign rallies have intensified in bigoted rhetoric, targeting Muslim candidates and promoting racist stereotypes as he averages about one rally per day ahead of the 2026 elections.
Attacks on Muslim candidates
At a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25, Trump labeled Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a "jihadist" who is "on the side of the terrorists" and would need to pass through a metal detector before entering the Senate. He invoked the September 11 attacks, comparing blocking El-Sayed to the passengers who fought hijackers on United Flight 93, despite no evidence supporting such claims.
Racist tropes against Somali Americans
Trump repeatedly attacked Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born congresswoman from Minnesota, while his Justice Department investigated her family's immigration paperwork. He falsely asserted that 98% of Somalis in the U.S. do not work, claiming "they steal so much" and "all have a Mercedes-Benz," telling his overwhelmingly white audiences they live better than supporters.
Objectification and personal obsessions
Trump's speeches have included unusual focus on physical appearance. He described Senator Jon Husted's posterior as "a pile of muscle," claimed to have "fallen in love" with Senator Tim Scott, and commented on rapper Nicki Minaj's body, saying "I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before."
Supporter perspective
Sharon Anderson, a 70-year-old from Tennessee who has attended 81 Trump rallies, dismissed concerns about his rhetoric. She said Trump "hasn't changed a bit" and defended his comments about Minaj, adding that his speaking stamina of 90 to 105 minutes per rally seems "almost supernatural."
Concerns over mental state
Observers note Trump, 80, has begun making strange guttural sounds during speeches and posted a 1,300-word social media rant attacking comedian Bill Maher as a "COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER." Midterm polls currently favor Democrats, suggesting former President Barack Obama may have the upper hand in the campaign trail contrast.
