Trump mocks the name Mohammad in campaign speech

While speaking in Dalton, Georgia on Friday, President Donald Trump mocked Iran and joked about the popularity of the name Mohammad in the Muslim world.

Dig deeper:

Reuters reports Trump made the comment while discussing Iran at a rally in a hangar at Dalton Municipal Airport ​in Georgia, as he campaigned for Republican  candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

What they're saying:

"You ‌know, if you're in doubt about somebody's name from the Middle East, just say 'Mohammad,'" Trump told the crowd in Dalton, Georgia. "You have about a 65% chance. 'Hello, Mohammad.' I've done it ​for years now. I've never been wrong."

Mohammad is one of the most ​common male names among Muslims, who often name their sons after ⁠the founder of Islam, the Prophet Mohammad.

"Iran is the only country where nobody wants to be president," Trump said and then pretended to ​ask several people named Mohammad if they have ever wanted the job. Masoud Pezeshkian ​has been president of Iran since 2024.

Reuters reports the Georgia crowd gave the joke a muted response.

The other side:

Muslim advocacy groups have repeatedly criticized Trump for rhetoric that they say demonizes and mocks Muslims, immigrants and ethnic minorities with Trump escalating such rhetoric during the midterm campaign season, particularly against Somali and Muslim Americans including Muslim Democratic US Senate ​candidate Abdul El-Sayed ​and Representative Ilhan ⁠Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who came to the US as a Somali refugee.

During the rally, Trump repeated his vow that Iran would never ​get a nuclear weapon, seven months after the United States ​and Israel ⁠launched a war on Tehran aimed in part at crippling its nuclear program.

Reuters says an annual report by the Council on American Islamic Relations released earlier this year attributed rising ⁠Islamophobia ​in the US in part to Trump's crackdown ​on immigration and pro-Palestinian protests during his second term.

 

Politics