Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed doubles down on controversial rhetoric about how to treat Republicans

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Michigan Senate Democratic candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed doubled down on some of his controversial rhetoric during interview on Monday.

El-Sayed, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s Senate seat in 2026, has recently scrubbed some of his past social media comments about defunding the police. He also has faced controversy for having responded to an attack on a synagogue in March by noting that “hurt people hurt people.”

Rhetoric from far-left politicians that refers to violence, even in metaphor, has come under heavy scrutiny in recent years after the assassination attempts on President Donald Trump and the murder of TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk.

During Monday’s interview, CBS anchor Major Garrett noted that “Michelle Obama used to have a phrase, ‘When they go low, we go high.’ You have a variation on that. What is it?”

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Even as he had scrubbed some of his past statements Abdul El-Sayed has doubled down in the combative language he uses about Republican opposition. (Monica Morgan/Getty Images)

“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.”

“I’ve heard it said that you said, ‘When they go low, we choke them out,” Garrett said.

This appeared to refer to a famous moment during a rally when El-Sayed had declared, “When they go low, we don’t go high. We take them to the mud and choke them out.”

“I mean, their choice to go low,” Garrett said. “Don’t go low. I’m just saying.”

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Abdul El-Sayed (R) answers a question during a press conference at the Michigan Democratic Party State Endorsement Convention in Detroit on April 19, 2026 while communications director Roxie Richner (C) looks on. (Jose Juarez/AP Photo)

Garrett also pressed him during the interview that his campaigning with far-left streamer Hasan Piker would inevitably be an issue his opponents would also target him on.

“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 replied. “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.”

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