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President Donald Trump wasted no time weighing in on Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, launching an attack on Abdul El-Sayed just hours after the progressive candidate emerged from a razor-thin primary battle and became the party's nominee in one of the country's most closely watched Senate races.In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Aug. 5, Trump called El-Sayed's victory "great news for the Republican Party" and leveled a series of attacks against the former public health official, who is now set to face Republican Mike Rogers in November.The comments underscored the stakes of the Michigan contest, a key battleground race that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate and is expected to draw significant national attention and spending from both parties.Trump attacks Abdul El-Sayed after primary win"Great news for the Republican Party," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in this race..."Trump also took aim at El-Sayed's primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, suggesting that her stronger-than-expected showing reflected divisions among Democrats.The post marked Trump's first public comments after the primary was effectively called Wednesday morning.El-Sayed narrowly defeats Haley StevensThe race between El-Sayed and Stevens remained exceptionally close as votes were counted overnight Tuesday. Aug. 4.By Wednesday morning, El-Sayed held a lead of roughly one percentage point, enough for news organizations to project him as the winner.Stevens later conceded the race and quickly endorsed El-Sayed, signaling a push for party unity ahead of the general election."I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election," Stevens said in a statement. "This was a thorough and rigorous campaign that brought out the full span of views within the Democratic Party, and that is why we have primaries."Who is Abdul El-Sayed?El-Sayed, a physician and public health expert, previously served as director of Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veteran Services. Before that, he was Detroit's health commissioner.Outside government, he worked as a tenure-track faculty member at Columbia University in New York City.His victory represents a win for the Democratic Party's progressive wing and sets up a marquee matchup with Rogers, a former congressman who secured the Republican nomination.Democrats call for unity ahead of NovemberAs vote counting continued Tuesday night, El-Sayed sought to strike a unifying tone, urging supporters to look beyond the primary battle and focus on defeating Republicans in November."We should begin to mend fences," El-Sayed said. "However much we might disagree with our Democratic opponent, there is so much more that unites us than divides us."With the primary now decided, both parties are turning their attention to what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races in the nation, with Trump already signaling that Michigan will be a top political battleground this fall.USA TODAY’s Susan Page contributed to this report.Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
