First on FOX: The Democrat senator, who was called as “moderate” and tapped to refute President Trump's congressional joint session on Tuesday, employs staff who faced backlash last year for Minister Louis Farrakhan's public support.
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin hired a deputy politician during her campaign last year, bringing back a rebuttal to Trump. Posted on Facebook in 2017 About her “complete” “supporting the Islamic State and the honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan” at the Islamic “Messiah Day Conference.”
Staff Dr. Terra Defoe posted a photo of herself standing next to Farrakhan, writing, “A great time with her brothers at the Messiah Day convention.”
Farrakhan, a leader in Islam, has spoken out about what he thinks as Jews, comparing them to termites and saying they are “devil.” He also praised Adolf Hitler as a “great man” and became one of the most controversial religious figures in the United States due to his dim-minded comments about Israel.
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Senator Elissa Slotkin is facing backlash from pro-Israel groups against the staff who promoted Minister Louis Farrakhan. (Getty/Terradefoe Facebook)
In 2019, two years after Defoe attended the Islamic Conference, she invited Troy Muhammad to a talk show. Muhammad, who served as “the state representative of Minister Louis Farrakhan and Minister of Mohammed Mosque No. 1,” and depicted in Defoe's 2017 Facebook post, was described by Defoe as “a precious community leader in Detroit.” An interview lasted for nine minutes. According to archived copiesdid not include questions about Farrakhan's controversial anti-Semitic comments.
After the successful end of the Slotkin Senate campaign, Defoe was awarded the position of Regional Director since January 2025. According to Legistorm.
Federal Election Commission records show that Defoe is I paid tens of thousands of dollars A few weeks before she was promoted to regional director position from the Slotkin campaign from June 2024 to December 2024.
A photo of Terra Defoe along with Minister Louis Farrakhan posted on her Facebook page in 2017. (Facebook)
Several Jewish activists have called for Slotkin staff to be fired after Fox News Digital reported exclusively about Defoe's relationship with Farrakhan last May.
“It's disappointing to stop knowing that the suspension still employs Farrakhan supporters who openly praise one of America's most infamous anti-Semies, Fox News Digital Monday.
“How are representatives who enable this kind of extremism considered moderates? “If she does not oppose anti-Semitism within her team, why should her members trust her to stand up to American values?”
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Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan gives a speech and speaks about President Donald Trump at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC on November 16th, 2017 (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Tudor Dixon, who ran for governor of Michigan as a Republican in 2022, told Fox News Digital “I won't be fooled by Elissa Slotkin's sudden “moderate” revision.”
“There's nothing moderate about open borders, higher taxes, EV duties, and defending offenders. Elissa Slotkin is a progressive left-handed, progressive that continues to be surrounded by activists who have been completely cut off from the average American.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Slotkin's office and Defoe multiple times but did not receive a response.
