Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed recently made private a number of videos from his YouTube channel that contained past remarks on fireworks, the Second Amendment and the ethics of football. The removals occurred prior to the general election matchup against Republican nominee Mike Rogers.
At least 100 videos were made private ahead of El-Sayed's primary win, though some had already been archived, according to CNN's KFile.
One video clip from July 2024 featured El-Sayed discussing "alternative ways of celebrating" America's Independence Day, with titled segments including "Fireworks just aren’t worth it: hear us out" and "Fireworks can trigger PTSD in veterans." The video's title stated, "Can we PLEASE find another way to celebrate July 4th? Four reasons why fireworks suck."
In other unearthed content, El-Sayed, a former high school football player, questioned the ethics and safety of the sport, describing it as "very much associated with a particularly masculine and oftentimes toxically masculine culture."
Additionally, El-Sayed suggested amending the Constitution to replace the Second Amendment right to bear arms with a right to healthcare. In a 2023 video, he reportedly asked, "What if we tweaked the Constitution, amended the amendment, and instead of the right to bear arms, we change it to the right to have health care?"
El-Sayed also commented on border security, accusing Republicans of using the issue as a talking point that "doesn’t even make the top five among issues that people in the United States actually care about that affect their lives."
A campaign representative stated that El-Sayed "loves Michigan football on Saturdays, and celebrates the Fourth of July with fireworks like the next Michigander." The representative added, "Cherry-picked comments from old podcasts don’t reflect his beliefs today."
The campaign pointed to past social media posts where El-Sayed expressed support for the Fourth of July and fireworks. However, posts from August 2024 also show him writing, "As a father and a public health doctor, I ask this with all of my being: Do we love our children enough to rethink our relationship with guns?" He further stated, "The second amendment never meant any gun for anyone anywhere at any time."
Some content removed from El-Sayed's online presence also included discussions on topics unrelated to politics. Previously, he had publicly stated support for stances such as backing away from calls to defund law enforcement in 2020.