Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan Democrat seeking the party's nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in 2026, recently engaged in an interview where he revisited some of his more contentious public statements.
El-Sayed has previously removed certain social media posts concerning defunding law enforcement. He also drew criticism for his reaction to a synagogue attack in March, during which he commented that "hurt people hurt people." The use of violent metaphors by political figures, even when figurative, has garnered increased scrutiny in recent years, particularly following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the killing of TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
Addressing Campaign Rhetoric
During the interview on Monday, CBS anchor Major Garrett referenced a well-known adage from former First Lady Michelle Obama, "When they go low, we go high," and asked El-Sayed about his own variant of the phrase.
"Listen, I deeply respect the First Lady," El-Sayed began. "I do think, though, that Democrats need to recognize, and I learned this the hard way, when I was a kid named Abdul in school, I learned the hard way that if you let them take your lunch, guess what happens, you don't eat lunch. And I want to eat lunch. I want everybody to eat lunch. So if they're going to show up and try to bully us, don’t be surprised when we hit back. I won't start the fight, but I’ll end it."
Garrett then directly quoted a phrase attributed to El-Sayed: "I’ve heard it said that you said, 'When they go low, we choke them out.'" This statement reportedly refers to an incident at a rally where El-Sayed declared, "When they go low, we don't go high. We take them to the mud and choke them out." Garrett then added, "I mean, their choice to go low. Don’t go low. I’m just saying."
Past Controversies and Collaborations
The interview also touched upon El-Sayed's association with a prominent left-wing online streamer, Hasan Piker, with Garrett suggesting this connection could become a target for his political adversaries.
"Major, I'm hanging out with you. I don't know everything you've said. I'm sure you've said some things I disagree with. You said some things I agree with," El-Sayed responded. "It tends to be in the real world. We hold people accountable for what they said, not what somebody around them said. And it's this funny gotcha game that Democrats love to play and Republicans love to play, which I think people are sick and tired of in politics."