Vice President JD Vance delivered a sharp critique of Michigan Senate nominee Abdul el-Sayed on Monday, labeling the Democrat as "very, very evil" during a rally in Sterling Heights.
Vance also directly addressed El-Sayed, stating, "keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth, because she’s way out of your league." This remark came after Vance accused El-Sayed of insinuating that his late grandfather might have disapproved of his marriage to his wife, Usha Vance, who is Indian-American and Hindu.
Accusations Against El-Sayed and Piker
During his remarks, Vance urged attendees to support Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in the Senate race. He also brought up controversial statements made by political commentator Hasan Piker, an associate of El-Sayed whom the latter has reportedly refused to disavow. Vance cited Piker's past remarks suggesting America "deserved 9/11" as an example of what he viewed as a disturbing trend.
"When I see Abdul el-Sayed talk about white supremacy being the root of opposition to Sharia law; When I see a guy like Abdul el-Sayed empathize not with the innocent children at Temple Israel or the security guards, but empathize with the person who committed that atrocious crime," Vance stated. "When I see Abdul el-Sayed campaign around the state with somebody who said that America deserved 9/11; What I see is a man who has sympathy and compassion for people who share his religion, but have nothing for people who don’t."
Vance accused El-Sayed and Piker of viewing themselves not as "citizens of a common nation fighting for every single person" but as advocates for "one group at the expense of others." He contended that such a mindset, where one ethnic group is seen as deserving more than another, erodes the "foundations of commonality and common citizenship."
"If you look at his politics, if you look at his policy, it is all about saying, ‘This group of people is good, this ethnicity is bad, and I’m gonna fight to give from the bad group of people to the good group of people. And I think that’s a despicable way to think about your fellow Americans,'" Vance said.
El-Sayed's Response
Abdul el-Sayed responded to Vance's comments on the social media platform X. He characterized Vance's description of politics as "us-versus-them" by stating it was "basically how I feel about working people v. billionaires and Michigan v. Ohio."