Jesse Watters slams Abdul El-Sayed, saying ‘you seem a little naive’ while labeling his policy ideas ‘straight-up wacky’
FOX NEWS host Jesse Watters clashed with Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed during a heated interview Monday night, August 24, with the host calling the candidate’s ideas “straight-up wacky” and describing him as “a little naive.”
The tense exchange unfolded on Jesse Watters Primetime as the two debated immigration, healthcare, taxation, reparations, gender-affirming care and transgender athletes in sports.
As the interview wound down, Watters offered a backhanded acknowledgment of El-Sayed’s willingness to appear on the program.
“I respect the fact that you came on,” the host said. “I don’t think you’ve really looked into some of the policies you’re pushing. You seem a little naive, Abdul.”
“I give you credit for facing the music, but some of this stuff’s just straight up wacky. I don’t know if that’s going to fly in Michigan, but we’re gonna find out,” he added.
The clash over topics of discussion
El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat running against Republican Mike Rogers for the Michigan Senate seat, repeatedly attempted to steer the discussion toward affordability and healthcare.
Early in the interview, El-Sayed accused Watters of focusing too heavily on culture-war issues.
“You don’t want to talk about gas prices. You don’t want to talk about groceries. You don’t want to talk about health care,” he said.
When Watters pressed him on various policy positions through video clips of past statements, El-Sayed complained that the format prevented genuine policy discussion.
“Jesse, you have not asked me one time about the issues that people actually care about in Michigan,” the candidate said. “I’m not here to fight a culture war; I’m here to fight the affordability crisis that people are facing.”
The Mike Rogers jab
The interview also turned personal when El-Sayed took a shot at his Republican opponent.
At one point, El-Sayed referred to Rogers as “a beta,” using the slang term to mock his political standing and masculinity.
“Can we all agree that Mike Rogers is a beta?” El-Sayed said, as Watters laughed, “Can we all agree with that? He won’t even come on your show. He’s afraid of getting grilled.”
El-Sayed later added that Rogers “thinks he’s running against Hasan Piker.”
The Iran war discussion
Watters opened one line of questioning by asking whether El-Sayed was “glad the ayatollah is dead,” referring to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. El-Sayed attempted to pivot this into a broader critique of military spending and American military involvement abroad.
El-Sayed said he would “never defend the Iranian regime,” but also criticised the war with Iran.
“I understand selective memory about history, but we had a JCPOA that was well negotiated, that actually had nuclear nonproliferation far more securely than we have right now after having gone to war for the better part of six months,” he continued.
El-Sayed’s campaign context
El-Sayed, a physician and political activist, has positioned himself as a progressive champion focused on healthcare reform and economic justice. His primary victory earlier in the cycle came narrowly against Democratic rival Haley Stevens.
The Michigan Senate race has emerged as one of the more high-profile contests in the current cycle, with national attention focused on whether Democrats can maintain or expand their Senate majority.
Rogers, the Republican nominee, brings decades of political experience to the race, having served multiple terms in Congress before his 2022 departure from the House.