Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, joked on TikTok Tuesday about arresting Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed for a peculiar reason: his facial hair. "So I heard in the state of Michigan they have outlawed patchy beards," Vance said in a video, appearing to hop into a police vehicle. "Get in, patriots. We’re going to arrest Abdul El-Sayed."
A montage then played in the clip, featuring various shots of Vance as the hip-hop song "Sound of da Police" by KRS-One played in the background. Vance, who has previously stated he "hates good-looking guys with beards" out of jealousy, made the remarks as the latest exchange in his ongoing feud with El-Sayed.
Earlier, Vance had fixated on El-Sayed's Muslim identity and distorted his comments on Islamic law during a speech at an Ohio steel plant. In response, El-Sayed indirectly referenced Vance's wife, Usha J. Vance, in a post on X. This prompted Vance to retort, borrowing a phrase from a dispute involving Will Smith, telling El-Sayed to "keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth."
El-Sayed, who along with his wife Sarah Jukaku was previously mocked by former President Donald Trump, later appeared on CNN and stated that Trump and Vance should "face down their own hypocrisy."
Vance's TikTok video was released on the same day he advised House Republicans. He suggested that GOP candidates facing Democrats who are "not that crazy" should "just talk about" El-Sayed on the campaign trail, adding that "He’s got enough material for the whole country."