Obama backs ElSayed as Trump attacks him at Michigan rallies

Former President Barack Obama campaigned for Democratic Senate candidate Abdul ElSayed at a Detroit rally on Saturday, and President Donald Trump attacked ElSayed at a Republican rally the following day as the two campaigns made their cases in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race. Obama urged support for ElSayed, presenting him as a candidate for change and drawing a comparison between attacks on ElSayed’s patriotism and false claims Obama said he had faced about his own background. ElSayed, who won the Democratic primary, is challenging Republican Mike Rogers for an open Senate seat. At a rally in Port Huron on Sunday, Trump called ElSayed a jihadist and said he should face metal-detector screening if elected to the Senate. Trump also accused him of supporting terrorists. The claims were campaign rhetoric; the reports did not establish evidence supporting them. ElSayed has denied any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, and one account said he had denounced the organization. Rogers, who has alleged without evidence that ElSayed had ties to the group, said in a Sunday interview that he had never called ElSayed a terrorist. ElSayed has also denied a connection to the...