# Trump Advises 'Just Say Mohammad' For Middle Eastern Names

> During an October 2026 campaign speech, President Trump suggested a common Middle Eastern name, continuing a pattern of rhetoric criticized by advocacy groups.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-17T01:06:38.790252Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/trump-advises-just-say-mohammad-for-middle-eastern-names-89adb4cf

US President Donald Trump, in a campaign speech on October 16, 2026, told an audience in Dalton, Georgia, that if one is unsure of a Middle Eastern name, they should "just say 'Mohammad,'" claiming a "65% chance" of being correct [1][2][10]. He added, "I've done it for years now. I've never been wrong" [1][2].

This statement is part of a pattern of comments from President Trump that rights advocates and Muslim advocacy groups say demonize and mock Muslims, immigrants, and ethnic minorities, contributing to increased Islamophobia [2].

## Remarks on Middle Eastern Names
Speaking in Dalton, Georgia, US President Donald Trump advised his audience that when uncertain about a Middle Eastern name, "just say 'Mohammad'" [1][2][10]. He claimed this approach carried a "65% chance" of accuracy and asserted, "I've done it for years now. I've never been wrong" [1][2]. The comment occurred during a discussion about Iran, where Trump playfully asked individuals named Mohammed if they wanted to be Iran's president [2]. The crowd's reaction to this joke was described as "muted" [2].

## Escalating Rhetoric
This specific remark follows a series of public statements by President Trump that have drawn criticism for cultural insensitivity and perpetuating stereotypes [2]. Between October 8 and October 15, 2026, President Trump accused Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, of being a "jihadist" and a "radical extremist" [4][5][9]. He also claimed El-Sayed had ties to the "Muslim Brotherhood" [4]. On October 8, Trump made anti-Somali and anti-Muslim remarks, stating that Minnesota was being "taken over by Somali Immigrants" [5][8]. He also referred to El-Sayed as "Mohammed El-Sayed" in a Truth Social post [9]. Civil rights and Muslim advocacy groups have condemned Trump's rhetoric, contending it "demonizes and mocks Muslims, immigrants and ethnic minorities" and fuels Islamophobia [2]. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has previously attributed a rise in Islamophobia in the U.S. to Trump's policies and statements [2].

## What we could not confirm
PrimaryBrief could not find any public statements from President Trump or his campaign responding to the criticisms of his rhetoric regarding Middle Eastern names or his comments about Abdul El-Sayed.

## Evidence cited
1. Trump mocks Middle Eastern names with ‘Mohammed’ joke (www.aljazeera.com) — https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/16/trump-mocks-middle-eastern-names-with-mohammed-joke?traffic_source=rss
2. (October 16 2026) By Steve Holland and Kanishka Singh. DALTON, Georgia, Oct 16 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump made a joke about the popularity of the name Mohammad in the Muslim world as he mocked Iran's presidency during a campaign speech on Friday. “You know, if you're in doubt about somebody's name from the Middle East, just say 'Mohammad,'” Trump told a crowd in Dalton, Georgia. “You have about a 65% chance. 'Hello, Mohammad.' I've done it for years now. I've never been wrong.” Mohamm (internazionale.it) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQEjFj3a2PNcyXmIdWvwwMtyRXUHl4PlZPADjmhsWwkORERBP8Xt3_274SoNZLhzKh6wFhmPs2y_R3R-3oOSO41yAskBVU_IMQ-as0tiBoB3xb_vDkzn_QPmBF2FUlKLzU49p0LQK-rGYIj2GJwwz0AsjJrYIJR6ymKCxDoh7bfCVhPA7MsJsD8TWZ_uBRV3F26q2epopOGJIarcHUNxhWNCs82se-rQQ87rXYywcp7muxadAtiyQCP-MMzICg==
3. (October 06 2026) That the administration could take pride in keeping Muslims out of the country, most of them citizens of states with which the US has close political relations, was revealing. It showed that Mr Trump still regards Muslims as legitimate and popular targets for what increasingly appears to be his brand of ethno-nationalism, at a time when ...
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4. (October 15 2026) Trump Targets Muslim Leaders Before Midterms: El-Sayed, Ilhan Omar Under Fire. ... Firstpost America - YouTube. This content isn't available. In this video, Firstpost explains how Donald Trump's attacks on Muslim politicians are intensifying ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections. From calling Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a jihadist and accusing him of Muslim Brotherhood links to the federal investigation into Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's immigration records, these co (youtube.com) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFy5vAczbq-BLLB-2Q9jOddyswMEWquyH96b4PIkbLe1xAf2uIrkWqJ6NkzgyOSVeBk8QXBVBXqA_EoVgn-EJKg9UUh7ZlIxbL477CkQy268efxsf0kfRrTaYK3O3Z8e8dO_pVTZec=
5. (October 08 2026) WASHINGTON: In a burst of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric, President Donald Trump ‌cast the Somali American community as a threat to Minnesota on Thursday, hours after he labeled Muslim US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a radical extremist. “The once Great State of Minnesota is being taken over by Somali Immigrants. There is Violence, Murder, and Mayhem all over the State. The people of Minnesota must fight back,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump urged auth (arabnews.com) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFY0FWI1lMboZ7PnVTps1wADKMy7u3FG7kExxeqZyVwBDeug7bY-IaQXWekr37wVFOnRfjXVF6gCxs74mFZ_E926j_diq-6AIL_Tg2pWfQfxf6Zw3OFXZUdD_kgPyWkRskIQ2aiH-v1OSVnFz5MQbrzCKeM71xhO9mDemJOxO9JLsT5_eXI48xDrwMCTNTHA60Hx32jhcgUHW3q9jhRg==
6. (August 09 2026) CAIR Says 'America Does Not Belong to Any One Race or Religion' After Trump's Anti-Muslim Post 
 
  * August 9, 2026.  
  * 2:45 pm.  
 (cair.com) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGgYXtpwVdvXGuzq4-Pk1N_iYs3lt4Ji1wLOLNLqkl1dXpTx4RUf7TLuMCLry2DxyCDV3lRKCINRwM8cyClDJu_orDm8C-7O9y9Ca47Pkxs02sF01pBKZNY9FwyMLzHCHMh1ck_l0sPNQwtqAlqShbHuBQnyiFa0wukOcoNx9ALEJR2_Tx0QC4OCuD2RJg066hrgXvJ8RbDpbH1bbeBfHIzuDv5Bm27TZJFPy_FywqYXJCH4rUMtl_Wm1J6w==
7. (October 12 2026) Trump escalates anti-Somali, Islamophobic rhetoric 
 
  * WASHINGTON (MNTV) — President Donald Trump has intensified his attacks on Somali Americans and Muslims, portraying Minnesota's Somali community as a threat ahead of the November midterm elections and drawing condemnation from civil-rights advocates.  
  * In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Somali immigrants were “taking over” Minnesota, alleged that violence was spreading across the state and urged residents to “fi (muslimnetwork.tv) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQEhuQ8YA2xlUToO59u_BdeTBNssNOyz4CQ3qL9ULoMd756ColrI9DGiU-LeujQ-IRdI8NAE7nBVD1zYhrZjlrrxcCDeArTJbN655aboi2mVQ_yg6ec5nIfQnNogTLZZWA02bD8ju207_9tGFfPfJDGJ-136SL_9GzF5HNBVhRPEklX0Pqt2g3bL-8=
8. (October 08 2026) WASHINGTON: In a burst of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric, President Donald Trump ‌cast the Somali American community as a threat to Minnesota on Thursday, hours after he labeled Muslim US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a radical extremist. “The once Great State of Minnesota is being taken over by Somali Immigrants. There is Violence, Murder, and Mayhem all over the State. The people of Minnesota must fight back,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump urged auth (arabnews.com) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFY0FWI1lMboZ7PnVTps1wADKMy7u3FG7kExxeqZyVwBDeug7bY-IaQXWekr37wVFOnRfjXVF6gCxs74mFZ_E926j_diq-6AIL_Tg2pWfQfxf6Zw3OFXZUdD_kgPyWkRskIQ2aiH-v1OSVnFz5MQbrzCKeM71xhO9mDemJOxO9JLsT5_eXI48hDrwMCTNTHA60Hx32jhcgUHW3q9jhRg==
9. (October 08 2026) Conservation · Sustainable Development · Policy and Cooperation · Opinion · Contribution · Analysis · OpEd · Discover Gambia · Tourism and Hotels · Music and Cinema · Arts · Travel & Adventure · Creatives · Culture · IT · Artificial Intelligence · Cyber Security · Technology · Learning Corner · Sports · Football · Web TV. ×. Search. International. Trump Targets Abdul El-Sayed With Muslim Faith Mockery and Terrorism Allegations. Frederic Tendeng Oct 8, 2026 0. Gambiaj.com – (MIC (gambiaj.com) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFvNQx_6YACKa02h-abZYVcNKmJqy6koFouelYN8pNNUs4ttLFYbsBbrhIYU29ls1JHOBW4iRct9Bd1tLbJQR5WMILdeQdwnergW4KJlD40f8c2MC734qjjrImqtYTuW7ITKrZZ1UxqRko-rTa67Ow27Gj0hdNTCalT3NrwD0frNTuTYJSNpMtHN0x1MKIQuCcuP4d1i68vud0aXwOz7J9Pu_7LltzAhzgcQ3ddo8M=
10. (October 17 2026) 7 likes, 3 comments - aljazeeraenglish on October 16, 2026: "“If you're in doubt about somebody's name from the Middle East, just say 'Mohammed,'” says US President Donald Trump. ​​​​​​He made the comments at a rally in #Georgia when speculating on who the next president of #Iran would be.". (instagram.com) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGNjQqmRhu_7wa-7EFTG6FzEIVSwDtdluHWW5AVTnacaDC4fEmuyAs3db5KmjH09JlAfHZLFgpT0GMQ5OhWcmiVY93ZgkMfzyD9ORtQRsnDXq3hCHfYpNl1oJc0UYkjON1cM90sxno=