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‘Annie Trannie Andrews’ and ‘Mohammed el Sayed’: Trump goes scorched-earth on Democrats. Will it backfire?

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Quarshie, M. (2026, October 8). ‘Annie Trannie Andrews’ and ‘Mohammed el Sayed’: Trump goes scorched-earth on Democrats. Will it backfire? Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4758974/trump-goes-scorched-earth-democrats-anger-about-economy-outweighs-gop-cash-advantage/

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Washington Examiner · collected 2026-10-08 · by Mabinty Quarshie

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump has faced criticism from some Republicans over his aggressive attacks on Democratic Senate candidates, including South Carolina’s Annie Andrews and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, using derogatory terms that risk dividing the party. In South Carolina, Trump used a transgender slur against Andrews, prompting former Governor David Beasley to denounce these tactics as cruel and divisive. Meanwhile, Democrats are hoping to capitalize in traditionally red states by highlighting issues like cost-of-living concerns rather than getting drawn into personal attacks.
Written by AI on 2026-10-08, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October, President Donald Trump used the derogatory term "trannie" three times against Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews on his Truth Social platform. He claimed that Andrews supports policies such as open borders and high taxes, contrary to what South Carolina values. Trump endorsed Republican Senator Darline Graham Nordone, who is running for her late brother's seat, emphasizing that she represents the "Values of the Great People of South Carolina." Despite the slur, Andrews responded by stating her focus remains on lowering costs and improving lives in South Carolina, not engaging with name-calling. Senator Chuck Schumer also criticized Trump’s attacks as "despicable," supporting Andrews' stance on women's sports and minors’ surgeries.

Written for “Trump Attacks Trans Candidate” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump Attacks Trans Candidate
Politics · 7 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 2% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 2 of 26 claims Outlet record 68/100
Washington Examiner
Hedges 2 of 34 claims Outlet record 70/100
“Article A discusses President Trump's general aggressive attacks against Democratic Senate candidates and their impact, while Article B focuses on a specific upcoming debate between Darline Graham (R-SC) and her Democratic opponent Annie Andrews.”
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 21 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A discusses general attacks by President Trump against Democratic candidates and potential divisions among Republicans, while Article B specifically reports on a South Dakota senator removing references to Trump from his campaign website.”
Washington Examiner
Hedges 0 of 22 claims Outlet record 70/100
“Article A reports on Trump's specific use of the nickname 'Trannie' for Annie Andrews, while Article B discusses broader scrutiny and concerns over Trump's aggressive attacks against Democratic Senate candidates without focusing on a single incident.”
The Independent
Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 59/100
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 10 claims
“The articles discuss different aspects of political discourse and do not describe the same specific incident.”
NBC News
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes Trump's specific use of an anti-trans slur on Truth Social, while Article B discusses broader criticism and potential political ramifications of Trump's aggressive attacks against Democratic candidates.”
The Independent
Hedges 1 of 22 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A discusses Trump's aggressive attacks on Democrats in general, while Article B reports on a specific incident where Trump mocked Kamala Harris' appearance during a rally.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Trump's use of an anti-trans slur against Annie Andrews, Article B covers a broader narrative about the impact and reception of his attacks on multiple Democratic candidates, not just the specific incident reported in Article A.”
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 31 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes Trump's rally in Texas to support Ken Paxton, while Article B discusses broader criticism of Trump's aggressive attacks on Democratic candidates and their potential impact on Republican voters.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
48
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
2%
1 of 48 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
70/100
Washington Examiner's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
7
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-08 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Washington Examiner · 3851 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Mabinty Quarshie
34 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 President Donald Trump will hold rallies in Iowa and Kansas over the last weekend before the midterm elections after the events were canceled just one day earlier, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
🔮 Vance, meanwhile, is developing a style built around economic populism, cultural conservatism, and his working-class roots, offering an early glimpse of how he might seek to carry Trump’s political movement into the 2028 presidential election.
🔮 Vice President JD Vance announced that the Agriculture Department is opening a new beef processing facility in Texas, a move that will bring jobs and money to the state as the Republican Party works furiously to help boost the economy.
🔮 “In the last couple of years, we have cut down on visa fraud and fought against anybody who would lay off an American worker and replace them with a low-wage foreigner because sovereignty means that American jobs go to the American people,” Vance said Monday afternoon while speaking at an airplane hangar in Belgrade, Montana.
🔮 Many farmers are spending thousands of dollars more on fuel and operational costs, which could incentivize farmers to sit out the election or back Democrats.
🔮 President Donald Trump said he has not focused much on whether he will endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his reelection bid.
🔮 “For years my dear friend Lindsey would say that, ‘Darline is the finest, most reliable, and one of the smartest people I have ever known.’
🔮 Republicans are downplaying the possibility that Democrats could win over enough rural voters to help them flip the House and Senate this midterm election cycle.
🔮 “Ken Paxton was a great — he was considered the best, or certainly one of the few best, but the best attorney general of the whole country — and now I would have no regrets at all,” the president continued.
2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Trump doesn’t regret endorsing Ken Paxton for Senate
🔮 Sources familiar with discussions between the administration and anti-abortion groups told the Washington Examiner they have little confidence that significant action will materialize even after November and said they have heard White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been an obstacle to more aggressive action. This “is exactly what we’re hearing, that Susie’s been a bit of a roadblock,” said one source familiar with the matter.
Also by Mabinty Quarshie
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 34 articles by Mabinty Quarshie →

Topics

Democratic Democrats Republican Senate South Carolina

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 11× Senate ORG · 8× Republican NORP · 5× South Carolina GPE · 5× Democrats NORP · 3× Andrews PERSON · 2× Darline Graham PERSON · 2× Democratic NORP · 2× Lindsey PERSON · 2× Republicans NORP · 2×

Narrative

Democrats are hoping they can overcome the herculean task of flipping the Senate by wading into traditional red states, and some Republicans suggest that Trump’s comments are not only unnecessary but distracting in a climate where voters are concerned about the cost of living.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-08
🔮 “For years my dear friend Lindsey would say that, ‘Darline is the finest, most reliable, and one of the smartest people I have ever known.’

Claims (48 extracted, 1 hedged)

President Donald Trump‘s increasingly aggressive attacks against Democratic Senate candidates have been met with scrutiny from a growing number of Republicans and risk dividing the party as they fight to keep control of the House and Senate, some allies warn. asserted
allies → meet → House
Democrats are hoping they can overcome the herculean task of flipping the Senate by wading into traditional red states, and some Republicans suggest that Trump’s comments are not only unnecessary but distracting in a climate where voters are concerned about the cost of living. asserted
voters → hop → living
The president ignited a minor storm this week after he used a transgender slur to blast Democratic South Carolina Senate nominee Annie Andrews, who is challenging Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC). asserted
who → ignite → Graham
“Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews is running against our wonderful Darline Graham for the Senate in South Carolina,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. asserted
Trump → run → Monday
“For years my dear friend Lindsey would say that, ‘Darline is the finest, most reliable, and one of the smartest people I have ever known.’ asserted
I → say → people
He would then always add, ‘Also, the most loyal!’ asserted
He → add → loyal
Oftentimes I would be upset with Lindsey for saying this, because I thought I had all of those qualities.” asserted
I → say → qualities
Andrews, a physician, is not transgender and, in a new ad, hit back against Graham for “lying” about her record on transgender policies. asserted
Andrews → hit → policies
“Politics can get pretty ugly, and when it does, you deserve to hear the truth,” Andrews says while speaking into the camera. asserted
Andrews → get → camera
“My career as a pediatrician has always been about taking care of kids, and I’ve got three of my own. asserted
I → take → own
So I want you to hear me loud and clear. asserted
you → want → me
I don’t support biological men playing women’s sports, and I don’t support, and haven’t ever performed gender surgery for minors.” asserted
I → support → minors
Former Republican South Carolina Gov. David Beasley denounced Trump’s comments on social media. asserted
Beasley → denounce → media
Elections don’t have to be about cruelty and lies,” Beasley wrote on X. asserted
Beasley → have → X.
“South Carolina deserves better. asserted
Carolina → deserve → better
I urge voters to look at the merits of each candidate and cast their vote accordingly. asserted
I → urge → vote
We must reject politics based on division and hate. asserted
We → reject → division
While South Carolinians can strongly disagree with one another, we can do so civilly and with honest intentions for the betterment of our communities and well being of our families.” asserted
we → disagree → families
The South Carolina Senate race has surprisingly become a closer-than-expected contest in a state that went for Trump all three times he ran for president. asserted
he → become → president
The Cook Political Report shifted its rating toward Democrats from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican.” asserted
Report → shift → Republican
The Senate Leadership Fund also announced it was injecting $5 million into the race to help boost Graham. asserted
it → announce → Graham
Trump’s attacks against Democrats didn’t stop with the Palmetto State. asserted
attacks → stop → State
On Wednesday, Trump attacked Michigan Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed on Truth Social. asserted
Trump → attack → Social
“Mohammed El-Sayed is a terrible Candidate for the Dumocrats,” Trump wrote. asserted
Trump → write → Dumocrats
“While his opponent, Mike Rogers, is an extremely good one, Mohammed goes back to the days of the Jihad. asserted
Mohammed → go → Jihad
He is a RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer, and no different from his best friend, America Hating Hasan Piker.” asserted
He → hat → Piker
The president referred to el Sayed by his middle name instead of Abdul, a shortened version of his full first name. asserted
president → refer → name
The Michigan Senate is a toss-up race, but with voters souring on Trump and blaming him for the Iran war, high gas prices, and mortgage rates, some candidates are putting daylight with the administration. asserted
candidates → toss → administration
Republican candidate Mike Rogers recently broke with Trump over the trade war with Canada after previously supporting it. asserted
Rogers → break → it
At a Wednesday night rally in San Antonio, Trump warned the crowd that if Democrat James Talarico defeats Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the open Senate race, “We’ll never forgive you for what you have done if you let that happen.” asserted
that → warn → what
“A vote for Talafreako is a vote to turn Texas into a dirty, failing, third-world country,” Trump said while also slamming Talarico for taking time off the campaign trail due to complications from the flu. asserted
Trump → turn → flu
Where the hell is he?” Trump asked. asserted
Trump → ask → ?
At the Texas rally, Trump also reaffirmed his controversial taunt that Iran should bomb Democratic-led cities. asserted
Iran → reaffirm → cities
“You want to see a horror show? asserted
You → want → show
Let them hit San Diego,” Trump told the crowd. asserted
Trump → let → crowd
“Let them hit Los Angeles. asserted
them → let → Angeles
You want to see some bad things happen? asserted
things → want → ?
“We protect our cities,” he said. asserted
he → protect → cities
“We protect our country. asserted
We → protect → country
We’re not letting that happen.” asserted
that → let → ?
…and 8 more, not listed.
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