Abdul El-Sayed Fires Off Comebacks at Trump and Ted Cruz

Politics has been ugly for a long time, but in my view, I have never seen it as ugly as it was when it came to you. And I spoke about it a lot at this table. Thank J.D. Vance said that there was something about you that is very, very evil. you so Trump, President Trump, called you a jihadist that would have to go through a metal detector before you're allowed to go into the Senate. much Bernie Moreno said that you can be nowhere near Washington, D.C. for And then finally, Ted Cruz called you a jihadist leprechaun. being I don't even know what that means. I want to hop. Yeah, I don't even know what that means. here. But you handled it expertly. But were you surprised at the level of vitriol and the level of racism and bigotry and Islamophobia directed your way? If they had something to say about the price of gas or the price of groceries or the fact that people can't see a doctor, they would have said it, but they didn't have anything to say. And I kind of knew that they were going to reach for the red meat. And here's the problem with the red meat. It becomes an addiction. Once you go there and you put that out there and you say something, then you're forced to defend it. So what do they do? They double down and they double down, they triple down again. And so I wish I could tell you, oh my God, I'm so surprised. But like I said, I've been in my whole life. And more often than not, people don't want to actually debate the issues. Instead, they want to debase the politics. And that's exactly what we saw. So, and. And for me, the opportunity was to say, look, you can talk about my name and my faith all day if you want to. But they're not the reason you can't afford your gas or you can't afford your groceries, not the reason you can't see a doctor. I mean, if you're seeing a doctor, they might actually have my name and my faith. Yeah. I love what you said when they said you should go through a metal detector. Do you remember what you said? I did. I'll do a metal detector all day because I've got nothing to hide. But Donald, if you're watching, lie detector's still on the table. Put it on the table. Yeah. Let me just ask you, I read all these things that these folks have said about you. You're going to work with Senators Bernie Moreno and Ted Cruz. How will you approach that? Look, I'm a professional. I'll work with anybody if it means that we could get something done for the people of the state of Michigan. And that's the responsibility. Like, I'm not there to go play politics. And I think people are sick and tired of this retribution politics. They did this, we do this. It is not about politicians. It is about the public we serve. I got elected on a very clear set of messages. I want money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for all. And if you're willing to get that done, let's sit down and figure out how to get that done. If you want to play political games, I think people are realizing I don't back down, I don't shut up. But I'm not going there to play political games. So I'm looking forward to sitting down with every single one of my Senate colleagues. You could say whatever you want about me, but I'm not here to defend myself. My job is to defend the people who can't afford the basic means of a dignified life. So let's sit down. Let's figure out how to roll up our sleeves and get work done. You are displaying a strength of character when you speak like that. Yeah, I appreciate it.