Abdul El-Sayed, newly elected Senator from Michigan, had strong words for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during his victory speech, marking his historic win as the first Muslim in the US Senate. He took aim at the racist rhetoric used against him during the campaign, particularly from Trump and Vance, who had ridiculed his name and demeaned him, with Trump using terms like “jihadist.”
“JD, habibi, it’s ironic – you must swear me in January,” El-Sayed told supporters in the early hours after the election results were announced. He added, “Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, just call me ‘Senator’. May we never see the likes of you in Michigan again.”
El-Sayed defeated Trump’s chosen candidate, Mike Rogers, with over 52% of the vote, in a campaign shaped by criticism of his faith and opposition to US military actions in the Middle East. In his victory speech, he said, “To all the parents who struggled to explain why the president mocks someone for their name or how they pray, tell them that the bad guys lost.”
He vowed to address economic inequality and the cost of living, stating, “Michigan, it just shouldn’t be this hard to buy groceries or fill your tank.”
Born in the Detroit area to Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed’s education includes being valedictorian at the University of Michigan before becoming a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and earning a medical degree from Columbia University. He has previously served as an epidemiologist and executive director of Detroit’s Health Department.
El-Sayed entered politics in 2018, running for governor on a progressive platform but lost to Gretchen Whitmer. His recent Senate campaign focused on expanding healthcare access, reducing living costs, and opposing corporate influence in Washington. He also advocated for a foreign policy prioritising domestic needs over military efforts.
Despite facing significant campaign spending against him, including $30 million from AIPAC in support of his primary opponent, El-Sayed emerged victorious. His campaign addressed rising costs and healthcare, while also confronting Islamophobic attacks and accusations of anti-Semitism.
After his primary win, he faced considerable media criticism but remained steadfast, turning the narrative against those who utilised his faith and ethnicity to attack him. “We don’t want our money sent for apartheid or genocide,” he said, celebrating his victory with a sense of hope for the future.
