JD Vance calls Abdul El-Sayed 'evil' at Michigan GOP rally
Vice President JD Vance called Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed "evil" at a Sterling Heights GOP rally on Monday, August 31, 2026. Vance tied Sayed to controversial remarks after a synagogue attack and his alliance with streamer Hasan Piker. El-Sayed fired back, accusing Vance and President Donald Trump of policies that harm working families.
The attack came at MAGA Inc.'s first major midterm rally featuring Vance as headliner, with several hundred supporters gathered in a warehouse for an electric-services contractor in Macomb County. Vance reserved his sharpest rhetoric for the Senate race, where El-Sayed faces Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
Key Takeaways
- Vance told rallygoers there is "something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil" and urged voters to reject him in November.
- Vance cited El-Sayed's response to a March synagogue attack and his association with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said "America deserved 9/11."
- El-Sayed countered that "evil" is ripping healthcare from workers and inflating grocery and gas prices through trade wars.
- Vance did not mention Michigan's escalating trade war with Canada, despite the state exporting 39% of its goods northward.
- The open Senate seat could determine which party controls the chamber after the 2026 midterms.
What Did JD Vance Say About Abdul El-Sayed?
Speaking at the MAGA Inc. event, Vance described El-Sayed as part of a dangerous trend in American politics. "I realized that there's something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil and on the rise in the United States of America today," he said, according to NBC News.
Vance argued El-Sayed represents people who "see themselves as fighting for one group at the expense of others." He also referenced a recent social media post in which El-Sayed mockingly wondered whether Vance would take his wife back in time to meet him, telling the crowd: "Keep my wife's name the hell out of your mouth."
Why Did Vance Attack El-Sayed at the Rally?
Vance focused on two controversies. After a March attack on a Michigan synagogue, El-Sayed condemned the violence but added that "hurt people hurt people"—remarks critics said wrongly empathized with the attacker. El-Sayed apologized last week, saying his comments "may have been misconstrued."
Vance also targeted El-Sayed's alliance with Hasan Piker, a leftist Twitch streamer who previously said America "deserved 9/11" on a livestream. Piker has since apologized; El-Sayed called the remark "dumb" on NBC's "Meet the Press" after winning the Democratic primary. Vance claimed El-Sayed shows "sympathy and compassion for people who share his religion but have nothing for people who don't."
How Did El-Sayed Respond to Vance's 'Evil' Label?
El-Sayed redirected the attack toward Trump administration policies. "Evil is ripping healthcare away from working people in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires," he said in a statement—a critique that touches on access-to-care debates often covered in our Longevity & Biohacking section.
He added that evil means "making people pay more for groceries and gas while pushing for trade wars and actual war," and called Vance a "sock puppet from Ohio." Later Monday in Warren, El-Sayed accused Rogers of rubber-stamping Trump's trade policies, saying a trade war with Canada is "a war on Michigan."
What Stakes Does Michigan's Senate Race Hold?
Rogers, who spoke before Vance and called El-Sayed a "con man," is competing for an open seat that could decide Senate control. Vance also stumped for GOP gubernatorial nominee Rep. John James and congressional candidate Mike Bouchard.
Notably, Vance made no mention of the U.S.-Canada trade war during his visit, despite Michigan's heavy reliance on cross-border commerce. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson had earlier blamed Trump's tariffs for costing Michigan families an extra $5,619 over the past year, according to Axios data cited at a pre-rally press conference.