Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed's campaign has scheduled a series of public events for the 25th anniversary of September 11, including a Mexican festival, a farmers market, and a county fair, raising questions about his public remembrance of the day. While the initial public schedule for the anniversary did not explicitly list a 9/11 remembrance event, El-Sayed's campaign stated after being questioned that he would attend such an event.
Events listed on El-Sayed's campaign website for the anniversary date included Grand Rapids' Fiesta Mexicana, described as a celebration of Mexican culture featuring mariachi music, food, and dance. Other scheduled stops included a farmers market and the Allegan County Fair, which features live entertainment, food, games, and rides. The campaign instructed supporters to attend Fiesta Mexicana, suggesting they "bring some Mexican swag" and "go inside to enjoy the music and get some food."
El-Sayed's campaign clarified that he would not be attending all the listed events, though it did not specify which ones. A spokeswoman for El-Sayed told Fox News Digital that the candidate views 9/11 as a "horrific moment in history" and "will be joining Michiganders in remembering the 25th anniversary."
This scheduling has drawn attention partly due to El-Sayed's past controversial statements and associations related to 9/11. Earlier in his campaign, El-Sayed faced scrutiny when a clip resurfaced of Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, whom El-Sayed had campaigned with, stating that America "deserved 9/11." El-Sayed described the remark as "dumb" but did not disavow Piker. Further, old blog posts and social media content attributed to El-Sayed have emerged where he reportedly equated 9/11 with the January 6th Capitol attack and compared former President Donald Trump to Osama bin Laden. In other posts, he urged Americans to direct the same outrage towards the COVID-19 pandemic as they felt for 9/11 and mourned the lives lost in the War on Terror.
The campaign did not provide an explanation for why the 9/11 remembrance memorial event was not initially listed on El-Sayed's public campaign website.