President Trump on Sunday signaled he would welcome Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) into the Republican fold after she crossed party lines to endorse GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers, a move that has roiled Michigan politics just days before the midterm elections.
Speaking to reporters outside Air Force One, flanked by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Trump was asked whether he had reached out to Stevens. “Not much to reach out, just [to] call her and thank her. She did the right thing,” he said. When pressed on whether she should formally switch parties, Trump replied, “I’d love to have her.”
Johnson said he had sent Stevens a note, praising her courage. “She’s standing for truth,” Johnson said. “Haley’s a good person. She’s always been very thoughtful. She loves her state. She’s served it as best as she could and she’s speaking the truth. This is a contrast election between common sense and crazy, and there is no crazier choice on the ballot than El-Sayed and what he stands for.”
Johnson also said he warned Stevens to stay safe, prompting a reporter to ask if she was in danger. “Look, I don’t know. We’re in a heightened threat environment,” Johnson said. “Everybody in politics is, and there are dangerous people out there. Of course, her and her fiancé have been getting a lot of threats.”
Trump then escalated the rhetoric, calling El-Sayed a “jihadist” and “a Muslim Brotherhood guy,” adding, “I’d say she’s in danger.” He continued, “And I think she was very brave doing it. She did it for the people of Michigan. And I have great respect for her, I will tell you. She put up a great race.”
Earlier, Trump had praised Stevens’ endorsement as “BIG,” saying she “said what few people are willing to say” and showed “great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan.” The Republican National Committee echoed that sentiment, arguing that Michiganders “should take notice” as Rogers builds “a winning coalition of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans to save Michigan from El-Sayed’s radical, terrorist-sympathizing agenda.”
Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed after a bitter contest, endorsed Rogers on Sunday and appeared with him at a Detroit church. The endorsement came after days of public feuding with El-Sayed and just two days before the election. According to sources, Stevens had been scheduled to appear at a campaign event with El-Sayed, but he dropped her from the lineup.
The backlash from Michigan and national Democrats was swift. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said voters in her state are focused on kitchen-table issues. “They want leaders focused on making their lives more affordable. That’s what they’re talking about, not Congresswoman Stevens’s continued efforts to get attention,” she said in a statement, urging voters to back El-Sayed.
Stevens’ move has also sparked internal Democratic turmoil, with reports that several of her staffers resigned in protest. Meanwhile, El-Sayed has tried to downplay the endorsement, arguing it reflects Stevens’ personal grievances rather than a broader shift. He shrugged off the shock endorsement, while Stevens defended her decision, citing El-Sayed’s association with progressive commentator Hasan Piker.
The episode highlights the deep divisions within the Democratic Party in Michigan and the unusual cross-party appeal that Rogers is attempting to build. With the midterms looming, the race remains a key battleground, and Trump’s overture to Stevens could further complicate Democratic efforts to unify.
