Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has defended his past criticism of Fourth of July fireworks, stating that his remarks focused on air quality concerns and suggesting that Americans can find other ways to express their patriotism.
During an appearance on the radio show "The Breakfast Club," El-Sayed responded to questions about his previous comments on fireworks. He suggested that if fireworks represent a person's entire conception of America, "You don't have a complete conception of America."
"I said, 'Well, every time we do a fireworks show, it destroys the air quality and people have asthma exacerbations and heart attacks the next day.' That's all I was saying," El-Sayed stated on the program. "You know what I mean? I'm not saying we shouldn't have fireworks. I'm just saying maybe like there are other ways to show your love."
El-Sayed's comments come after a report revealed that he deleted or hid approximately 100 YouTube videos before launching his Senate campaign. One video reportedly detailed four reasons "why fireworks suck" and argued that "Fireworks just aren't worth it."
Republican nominee Mike Rogers has criticized El-Sayed for these deleted posts and comments. Rogers stated that El-Sayed spent "hours hating on what most Michiganders would enjoy in their pastimes" and that voters should be held accountable for these views.
"These are views that he held, that he was pretty strong about, but he knew that he had to delete them all," Rogers said. "If people really knew who he was, they wouldn't vote for him."