Trump’s ‘Mohammad’ Joke Draws Criticism

US President Donald Trump has once again come under scrutiny, this time after making a joke about the popularity of the name “Mohammad”.

According to Reuters on Saturday (17 October 2026), Trump made the remark while mocking Iran’s presidency. He spoke at a rally in front of supporters during the midterm election campaign.

“You know, if you’re unsure about someone’s name in the Middle East, just call them ‘Mohammad’,” Trump said.

“The odds are about 65% that you’re right. ‘Hello, Mohammad.’ I’ve been doing it for years. I’ve never been wrong,” he added.

Trump made the comments while discussing Iran at a rally at Dalton Regional Airport in Georgia, where he was campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections on 3 November.

He then pretended to ask several people named Mohammad whether they wanted the job. But his supporters did not respond to the joke.

“Iran is the only country where nobody wants to be president,” he said.

Human rights defenders and Muslim advocacy groups have repeatedly criticised Trump for rhetoric they say mocks Muslims, immigrants and ethnic minorities.

He has stepped up such rhetoric during the midterm campaign, particularly towards Somali Americans and Muslims, including Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim, and Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who came to the United States as a Somali refugee.

An annual report released earlier this year by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) linked rising Islamophobia in the United States in part to Trump’s crackdown on immigration and pro-Palestinian protests during his second term.