Trump promises to retire 'shithouse' label after adviser's private pushback

President Donald Trump's approval rating stood at 34 percent this month, the lowest point in current polling, as he prepared to face voters in key battleground states. The number sits well below the 40 percent high recorded recently, reflecting a dip driven by high fuel prices and the social fallout from mass immigration arrests.

The political tension peaked on Saturday at a rally in Perry, Georgia. Trump addressed a crowd of supporters there, specifically naming Libya, Yemen, Haiti, and Somalia. He referred to those nations as 'shithouse countries' and described them as terror-infested. He argued against accepting immigrants from those places and suggested Norway, Sweden, and Denmark as preferable alternatives.

Amer Ghalib, the president's newly appointed adviser on Arab-American affairs, reacted to the comments the following day. In a Facebook post written in Arabic, Ghalib stated that he texted Trump to express his dismay and rejection of the remarks. He noted that he later met with the president before a Sunday rally in Port Huron, Michigan. Ghalib reported that Trump pledged to address the issue and ensure the language would not recur.

Trump did not repeat the specific phrasing during the Michigan event, but he targeted the local Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed. Trump called El-Sayed a 'jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member' and warned that if the candidate wins, he should be the first tried for moving the country toward Sharia law. Trump positioned himself as a witness to that trial. There are no known links between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood, though the president designated three offshoots of the group as terror organizations last year.

Bishara Bahbah, founder of Arab Americans for Trump, characterized the rhetoric as a language of desperation. Bahbah, a former Harvard academic, told reporters that the president's behavior differs markedly from his campaign in 2024, when he was careful to thank Arab and Muslim voters. Bahbah said the recent remarks cross a red line, noting that the president continues to call Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer a Palestinian despite promising not to use the term as a slur.

Jenin Younes, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, issued a written statement describing the rally rhetoric as tired and dangerous. She said the comments are designed to distract from the realities facing everyday Americans. Younes expressed hope that voters would see through these tactics and focus on bringing the country back on track.

The president is campaigning in red districts rather than swing areas, telling reporters last week that people do not show up to vote when he is not running. He asked supporters to pretend he is on the ballot. The midterms serve as a referendum on his conduct. A Democratic victory would impede his agenda for his final two years in office and could lead to the impeachment of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the handling of the war in Iran.

Former President Barack Obama joined El-Sayed for a rally in Detroit on Friday. Obama referenced the 2011 birther controversy, stating that the same tactics that did not work on him in Michigan would not work on El-Sayed. He highlighted the potential for a Senate duo consisting of a Muslim man and a Jewish woman, a combination he said Michigan could be proud of. Trump's approval range of 34 to 40 percent remains the central metric for his campaign's performance in the final days.