News/Commentary

Obama quietly called El-Sayed—and now the Michigan Democrat is talking about it

August 10, 2026 | | Print Article

Michigan’s socialist Senate nominee invoked a former president’s full name in a victimhood-seeking comparison while hoping a “warm” call could lead to a campaign stump.

Much like grooming, election integrity issues, and violence perpetrated by illegal aliens, the rise of Islamism in the United States has been disregarded by much of the left as one of those things that is just not happening. Now, as Abdul El-Sayed hit the campaign trail for the general election, an NBC News interview glossed over concerning ties to instead focus on a congratulatory call and hopes that former President Barack Obama will campaign in Michigan for the Senate hopeful.

Joining NBC News’ Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” El-Sayed was first asked about his Democratic primary victory and then about reports of his post-win call from Obama, of which he said, “It was a really warm and inspiring conversation.”

“I was grateful for his advice. It was very warm, very inviting, and I know that he knows the critical role that Michigan is gonna play in holding [President Donald] Trump accountable, in winning back the Senate and in building forward the future that we need,” he went on, and, when asked if Obama expressed plans to campaign with him, the nominee replied, “I really hope so.”

During the interview where he dubbed Trump an “existential threat to our democracy,” El-Sayed was confronted with campaign surrogate Hasan Piker’s past remarks, including that “America deserved 9/11.” Welker asked, “Do you plan to continue to campaign with Hasan Piker in the general election campaign?”

“Look, I’m less concerned now with who I’m campaigning with, a lot more concerned with who I’m campaigning to,” came the practiced response.

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The host pressed further, “Would you welcome him though, on the campaign trail with you?” leading El-Sayed to reiterate his talking point and contend further, “I think we have this notion sometimes on shows like this that we cannot or should not talk to certain groups of people. And I’ll tell you that the 3 million people who listen to Hasan are people I wanna make sure understand that there’s a pathway into our politics …”

When asked if he disavowed Piker’s view on 9/11, and agreed with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) that it was a “dumb statement,” El-Sayed replied, “Of course it was a dumb statement, and of course I think Hasan himself would say that was a dumb statement. He disavowed it. So, yes, America didn’t deserve 9/11.”

The Senate nominee then lamented “gotcha politics” over what others have said instead of focusing on his own remarks, which, worth noting, include his own hot mic expressed hatred for Mackinac, Michigan during his 2018 run for governor.

Meanwhile, a moment earlier after playing a clip from an NRSC ad that alleged the politician pledged support for the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Welker instead focused on the use of the adjectives “radical” and “dangerous” when seeking comment from her guest.

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As such, he took a victimhood angle, expressing, “We always knew they were gonna go here. I mean, notice how they chose to use my full name in echoes to exactly what they did against President Obama,” after he himself opted to refer to the former president as Barack Hussein Obama.

Instead of using the platform to dispel suggestions that he is a proponent of Islamism in the United States, El-Sayed behaved as though the “radical” designation was just about his socialist agenda.

Kevin Haggerty
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