At a recent midterm convention held last week in Dallas, President Donald Trump delivered a keynote speech that included several attacks on Democratic Senate candidates in key races across the country. Many of his claims, however, have been found to be misleading or false upon closer examination.
One of President Trump’s assertions targeted Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan. Trump alleged that El-Sayed’s half sister, Eman Abdelhadi, had celebrated the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, describing it as a "great thing." Abdelhadi, a professor at the University of Chicago, posted videos on Instagram on the day of the attack, but nowhere in her remarks did she celebrate the violence. Instead, she spoke about resilience, justice, and solidarity with the oppressed, emphasizing the need for collective action toward a better future. The El-Sayed campaign acknowledged differences between El-Sayed and his sister on political views, including foreign policy.
In North Carolina, Trump criticized Governor Roy Cooper, claiming Cooper had “released this animal into North Carolina society” in reference to DeCarlos Brown Jr., who was charged with murdering a Ukrainian refugee on a train in Charlotte last summer. Records show, however, that Brown completed a prison sentence for robbery in 2020 and was not released early. Brown was later arrested in January 2025 for misusing the 911 emergency system, a misdemeanor, and was released without bail by a magistrate judge—a decision made independently at the local level. Cooper did establish a 2020 task force aimed at criminal justice reform, which recommended eliminating cash bail for most misdemeanors, but those recommendations were nonbinding and issued after Brown’s release from prison. The governor also signed legislation in 2023 increasing bail restrictions for violent crimes. Campaign officials and other reports emphasize that Cooper did not have direct involvement in Brown’s release, and state law grants judges broad discretion in bail decisions.
Trump also made claims about James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, suggesting Talarico had been a vegetarian opposed to meat consumption and had even vomited following a meat-eating incident. This characterization lacks evidence. Talarico has denied being vegetarian or vegan and has been publicly seen eating meat on multiple occasions. While he previously described his campaign’s food choices as “nonmeat” and supported local vegan products, his campaign has shared images and footage of him consuming meat at public events. There is no substantiated information to support the claim that he ran a campaign to “beat meat” or experienced illness after eating meat.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment on these statements. The instances reflect a pattern of contested or inaccurate assertions by President Trump against candidates in competitive Senate races ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.