Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed says he plans to keep being “crass and obnoxious” because it’s the best way to fight a bully like Donald Trump.
Days after making history by becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, the feisty Democrat made a surprise appearance on stage in Washington on Thursday night for a live recording of the popular left-leaning podcast, Pod Save America.
Asked how he planned to hold Trump to account in his new job, El-Sayed told the fired-up crowd: “I think there is a responsibility that we have to engage with him as the unserious fool that he is.”
“And I say that because if you’ve ever watched a bully in a room, if you don’t stand up to the bully, it’s not like the bully will just go away,” he continued.
“If you don’t stand up to the bully, the bully just gets stronger for two reasons: because they think they can get away with it, and they always want more.”
A former health official whose social media videos include clips of him pumping weights or dancing confidently to Taylor Swift, El-Sayed earned a reputation on the campaign trail for being combative, cocky, and abrasive—even among Democrats.
“Abdul isn’t short on confidence, and I know that can make people nervous if it comes across as arrogance,” said Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow, who initially ran against him in the Democratic primary but dropped out early.
He has described Democratic rival Haley Stevens, who controversially endorsed MAGA candidate Mike Rogers at the 11th hour, as “the least capable candidate in America”.
Rogers, meanwhile, was called a “beta” as El-Sayed mocked his appearance.
And at D.C.’s Warner Theatre on Thursday night, he referred to Trump as “the dumbest f----ing guy who ever was president.”
Speaking on stage with podcast hosts and former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor and Dan Pfeiffer, El-Sayed made no apologies for his combative style.
The new senator acknowledged that being “crass and obnoxious” was uncommon in Democratic politics, but said it was necessary to fight someone like Trump.
“So I’m just going to be crass and obnoxious, because you’re an a--hole,” the 41-year-old said.
El-Sayed was one of numerous Democrats who helped flip the Senate on Tuesday night, despite a sustained fear campaign by Trump and the GOP, who tried to paint him as an extremist and a radical left terrorist.
The president repeatedly made his Muslim identity the focus of his attacks, calling him a “jihadist” and suggesting El-Sayed would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate.”
In the end, he won resoundingly and helped drive the blue wave that wiped out the GOP’s dominance across the country, including seats once considered Republican strongholds.
Democrat James Talarico beat Trump-backed candidate Ken Paxton in Texas; pastor Adam Hamilton defeated MAGA incumbent Roger Marshall in Kansas; rising star Jon Ossoff won easily against Mike Collins in Georgia; pediatrician Annie Andrews beat Darline Graham in South Carolina; and former Senator Sherrod Brown defeated incumbent-turned-object of Trump’s bizarre obsession Jon Husted in Ohio.
The battle for Michigan took an unexpected turn after Stevens endorsed Rogers, but the move galvanized Democrats to fundraise and show up in force for El-Sayed.
Stevens was also meant to be on stage in Washington on Thursday night, albeit across town at a separate post-election event at George Washington University, but pulled out at the last minute.
“We have been informed that Congresswoman Haley Stevens is no longer able to attend the event,” the university said in an email Thursday afternoon.
“The program will continue as scheduled and will feature special guest Congressman Jamie Raskin.”
