Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim, has deleted hundreds of YouTube videos containing his real views that he’s now desperately trying to disassociate himself from.
According to an in-depth investigation by CNN, the deleted videos showed him trashing fireworks, calling for defunding the police, and even talking about replacing the Second Amendment.
In one video published in July of 2024, which was just two years ago, El-Sayed begged Americans to “PLEASE” celebrate the Fourth of July without fireworks because “fireworks suck.”
“Fireworks just aren’t worth it — hear us out,” he said in the video.
He went on to cite the chemicals used in fireworks, as well as their potential for triggering PTSD in veterans and the alleged risks they pose to kids and pets.
In another video viewed by CNN, El-Sayed falsely claimed the southern border crisis wasn’t among the American people’s top concerns.
CBS POLL: 75% of Americans “see the situation at the U.S./Mexico border as either a ‘crisis’ or a ‘very serious situation'” — a “notable increase” from previous surveys pic.twitter.com/uumUM0gCQs
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 7, 2024
Published in September of 2022, the video showed El-Sayed dismissing the southern border crisis as an issue Republicans “love to flog,” saying it “doesn’t even make the top five among issues that people in the United States actually care about that affect their lives.”
The Muslim Democrat also slammed southern red-state governors like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for bussing or flying illegal aliens to blue enclaves.
“It’s crazy to me that the party that says that they’re the party of family values can’t understand when people will make decisions for their families — because that’s exactly what these migrants are doing,” El-Sayed said.
In a since-deleted YouTube video from April 2023, the Muslim Democrat called for replacing the Second Amendment with a constitutional right to healthcare.
“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?” he asked in the video before arguing that this policy change would mean “fewer people dying by gun and more people living because they have health care.”
CNN also uncovered a February 2023 episode from his podcast in which El-Sayed first asked whether football is “ethical” or “safe,” and then suggested that so-called narratives justifying slavery, imperialism, and alleged oppression were “echoed in the ethos of football.”
“Football is very much associated with a particularly masculine and oftentimes toxically masculine culture,” he added during the podcast. “So much of it was about how you have to get back up and play for your team. You’re not allowed to show pain or vulnerability.”
Abdul El-Sayed: “Football is very much associated with a particularly masculine and oftentimes toxically masculine culture. So much of it was about how you have to get back up and play for your team. You’re not allowed to show pain or vulnerability.” pic.twitter.com/BObjfB6j8b
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 10, 2026
It gets worse. According to The Midwesterner, in 2021 the Democrat penned a Substack post attacking football over its alleged “toxic masculinity.”
“The toxic masculinity at the heart of America’s most popular sport — and men’s sports culture more generally — is way deeper than a few emails or a Jay-Z turnaround,” he wrote.
He went on to talk about his own experience playing football in high school.
“On the football field, I felt free,” he wrote. “And yet on the sidelines and in the locker room, I was fed a hefty dose of the worst kinds of racist taunting. Racism, misogyny, and homophobia were lingua franca.”
He also slammed the NFL over its alleged “racism.”
“Since Colin Kaepernick unveiled the league’s deep-rooted racism, the NFL’s has hired Jay-Z to lead a brand turnaround,” he wrote.
In remarks to CNN, El-Sayed’s campaign dismissed his past remarks and writings.
“Abdul is the former captain of his high school football team, loves Michigan football on Saturdays, and celebrates the Fourth of July with fireworks like the next Michigander,” they said. “Cherry-picked comments from old podcasts don’t reflect his beliefs today.”
Critics have doubts …
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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