Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism for comparing circumcision to sex change surgeries for minors during an appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime. The remarks, made Monday night, ignited debate and drew negative responses from both progressive and conservative commentators.
During the exchange, host Jesse Watters questioned El-Sayed's stance on medical procedures for minors. When Watters asked if El-Sayed believed it was acceptable for parents to have their children undergo such procedures, El-Sayed responded by bringing up circumcision. "It’s a problem that you think you get to decide what happens between a parent, a doctor and a patient," El-Sayed stated. "I’m just saying that, yes, circumcision is surgery on a kid’s ding-a-ling."
Watters countered that circumcision is different from castration, to which El-Sayed reiterated his point about parental and medical decisions. The comparison quickly drew fire from various figures.
Ryan Grim, a co-founder of DropSite News, wrote on social media that the argument was not effective. Andrew Laufer, a civil rights attorney, stated he agreed with Watters. Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet criticized El-Sayed, asserting that circumcision and castration are not the same. Conservative pundit Benny Johnson suggested El-Sayed was "worse than Kamala Harris," and OutKick founder Clay Travis expressed disbelief at the comparison.
Some commentators used puns in response to El-Sayed's comments about Watters's own circumcision. Others, like the senior policy director for the organization Do No Harm, stated that sex-reassignment surgeries are not comparable to circumcision. "Candidates who choose to die on this hill will deserve their election losses," the director commented.
Melissa Chen, a journalist and activist, suggested El-Sayed understood the distinction but felt compelled to defend gender ideology to appease his base. She argued that this position prevented him from directly answering whether he supports gender-affirming care for individuals under 18.
Circumcision is an elective surgical procedure typically performed on infants. While medical experts and critics have raised concerns about consent, necessity, and risks associated with the procedure, the comparison to sex change surgeries for minors remains a point of contention. The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.