Trump praises Democrat Haley Stevens for publicly endorsing Mike Rogers in heated senate race

U.S. senate candidate Mike Rogers and U.S. Congresswoman Haley Stevens.

President Donald Trump on Sunday praised the fortitude of U.S. Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan after she publicly endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in his heated U.S. senate race against Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. At the same time, top Democrats melted down, accusing Stevens of a betrayal and claiming to have kicked her out of the party. 

Stevens posted a video on social media Sunday reversing her previous endorsment of El-Sayed, who narrowly defeated her in Michigan's primary race in early August, and publicly backing Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate who is a retired FBI agent and former congressman. The reversal came after Stevens and El-Sayed traded barbs in recent days and the candidate disinvited Stevens from making an appearance at one of his closing campaign rallies.

Stevens said her decision to back Rogers was based on El-Sayed's unrepentant ties to Hasan Piker as well as some of his other far left positions on issues.

“Hey, Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said. “And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.”

Later on Sunday, Stevens explained her endorsement by saying, “At some point, you got to look at who’s standing for our country."

Rogers welcomed the support late in the race, telling reporters, “This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else."

President Trump praised Stevens for showing the courage to back a candidate from the opposite party. “It’s a thing called bravery, and few people have it like just displayed by Congresswoman Haley Stevens!” he said on social media, noting, "this is BIG!"

But there was no such praise for Stevens from members of her own party -- quite the opposite, in fact, as top Democrats unleashed vitriol toward Stevens and much of her congressional staff in Washington, D.C., quit in protest. Everyone from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to AOC to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani unloaded on Stevens. 

“This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens,” Schumer said in a post on social media. “Abdul El-Sayed is very clearly the leader that we need in this moment, and I don’t think that it’s worth the distraction,” AOC said. “The choice is whether or not you want to fight for working people like what Dr. Abdul El-Sayed has been on, or whether you want to provide additional oxygen and amplification to a candidacy of someone who wants to cut Medicare even further than it’s already been cut. That’s what’s on the ballot," said Mamdani. 

The Michigan Chair of the Democrat Party went even further on Sunday, saying Stevens had been kicked out of the party for good. "Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future," he said on X.

At a rally later on Sunday, Trump made it clear Stevens would be welcomed in the Republican Party, saying he'd love for her to join. Stevens maintained she remains a "proud Democrat."

On Sunday evening, Stevens appeared on CNN to discuss the endorsement in greater depth. Watch a portion of that interview below.