Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed declared the American political system a "disease" during a recent campaign event, while also expressing his affection for the country. Speaking in Grand Rapids alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, El-Sayed asserted that systemic issues, rather than individual politicians, are the root of the nation's political problems.
"Donald Trump is not, himself, the disease of our politics. He's just the worst symptom of the disease of our politics," El-Sayed stated. "The disease? It's the system that allows corporations and billionaires and special interests... to buy and sell politicians to rig the system against us."
Ocasio-Cortez echoed this sentiment, telling the audience, "You deserve a politics that treats the disease and not the symptoms."
El-Sayed, an Egyptian American physician and former public health official, reflected on the opportunities America has provided him, including his education. "No, don't get it twisted. I love America. I know exactly what America gave to me. I know what my life would have been, but for America," he said. "I know what America can do, and at the same time, it's impossible not to reflect on the worst moments of those 250 years as well."
He specifically targeted the healthcare industry, advocating for the elimination of medical debt and contrasting healthcare costs with political spending. El-Sayed claimed that the nation's approximately $225 billion in medical debt could be eradicated for about $2.25 billion, as it can be purchased at a significant discount.
Furthermore, El-Sayed called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), describing it as a "rogue agency." "ICE has nothing to do with immigration. ICE has nothing to do with the southern border. ICE is about normalizing paramilitary forces on our streets. ICE is about weaponizing the idea of immigration against the Constitution itself," he argued. "ICE cannot be reformed. ICE cannot be retrained. ICE has to be abolished."
El-Sayed also positioned himself as a threat to established political and corporate interests, including health insurers and Democratic leadership. "If you're Blue Cross Blue Shield, I'm dangerous," he stated. "If you're Chuck Schumer, trading politicians like trading cards, I'm dangerous."