Michigan Senate Race Tightens as Abdul El-Sayed Calls Trump an Idiot
A blunt podcast critique by the Democratic candidate has shifted the tone of the campaign days before Election Day.
By Marta Gray ·
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed called President Donald Trump an idiot on a podcast released on Wednesday. The comments came with the 2026 election just days away. El-Sayed also described Vice President JD Vance as having no actual soul and labeled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a mini-fool bully. He grouped the three as a coterie of the dumbest and most cowardly people running the country.
El-Sayed said the administration actively bullies Americans. He argued that Trump seeks attention because he was a nepo baby who craved recognition from his father. El-Sayed stated that he is not looking to bully anyone but wants to stand up to those he believes are causing problems. He noted that bullies are fragile and back off when people hit back.
The campaign began its final stretch with El-Sayed holding a lead in Michigan. A Michigan State University poll released on Monday showed El-Sayed ahead of Republican opponent Rogers by a margin of 48 percent to 44 percent. The candidate's team did not respond to a request for comment regarding the interview.
President Trump did not directly address El-Sayed's remarks. While campaigning in South Carolina on Thursday, Trump told supporters that businesses would not leave unless the nation had a stupid president. He said the country had many such leaders in the past. Former President Barack Obama also took a jab at Trump during a campaign event in Georgia on Wednesday. Obama joked that Trump was upset by a comparison of White House renovations to a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein.
David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University, told HuffPost that El-Sayed's choice of platform was intentional. Dulio said El-Sayed is an outstanding communicator who would not slip. He argued that the comments would not drive away Republicans considering voting for El-Sayed. Dulio suggested the language could encourage younger voters and persuadable swing voters in Michigan.
Dulio described the shift as a social-media-fication of politics. He said candidates and elected officials are using language that would have been rare twenty to forty years ago. He noted that podcasts have become a major place to connect with voters in the last half-decade. Trump has often used terms like stupid and low IQ to dismiss opponents. Obama previously called Joe Biden an idiot multiple times.
El-Sayed would become the first Muslim senator in U.S. history if he wins. Dulio said the aggressive, conversational style may signal the direction of the Democratic Party. He added that if El-Sayed wins alongside other progressive candidates, it will embolden that faction of the party.
