Vance Launches Islamophobic Attack on Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed at MAGA Inc. Rally
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Vice President JD Vance resorted to inflammatory and Islamophobic rhetoric, labeling Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as 'evil' during a MAGA Inc. rally, while El-Sayed condemned Vance and Trump’s regressive, anti-worker policies.
Vice President JD Vance unleashed a barrage of hateful rhetoric against Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed, calling him 'evil' during a rally orchestrated by the MAGA Inc. super PAC in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on Monday. Vance’s baseless attacks, which dangerously stoked Islamophobic sentiment, claimed that El-Sayed’s progressive views threaten so-called 'national unity,' urging voters to reject him in November’s crucial election that will determine control of the U.S. Senate.
'I realize that there’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil and on the rise in the United States of America today,' Vance told a crowd of several hundred, fanning the flames of division.
Vance attempted to smear El-Sayed by linking him to a controversial video posted after a synagogue attack in March and to a Twitch streamer who once suggested 'America deserved 9/11,' painting El-Sayed as sympathetic to extremist views without evidence. He further attacked El-Sayed’s humane stance on immigration, and outrageously alleged that El-Sayed would prioritize his own religious community over others—a classic dog-whistle to bigotry.
El-Sayed, a Muslim who had already apologized for his comments after the synagogue attack, responded with dignity, issuing a statement that called out Vance and President Donald Trump for pushing policies that harm working people. He stated, 'Evil is ripping healthcare away from working people in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires… Evil is dividing people for your own gain.'
The rally, which also featured former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate candidate, was a platform for the GOP’s far-right agenda in Michigan, including Rep. John James for governor and Mike Bouchard for the 10th Congressional District. Vance used the event to announce a new White House initiative targeting so-called 'fraudulent truck drivers,' thinly veiling it as an attack on undocumented immigrants.
A Republican strategist familiar with Senate races expressed skepticism about MAGA Inc.’s spending plans for the midterms, noting that much of the group’s money has yet to be deployed—raising questions about the true priorities of the MAGA movement.
The event took place amid rising U.S.–Canada trade tensions that threaten Michigan’s working families, yet Vance ignored these real economic issues in favor of divisive culture war rhetoric.