Michigan Democratic Senate Candidate El-Sayed clashes with Fox News’ Jesse Watters over ‘transgender’ procedures, ICE, Sharia law in tense interview

Zeale ^

[SeekAndFind]

The Michigan Democratic Senate nominee compared circumcision to “gender transition” surgery for minors and stood by his call to abolish ICE during a wide-ranging appearance on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed clashed with Fox News host Jesse Watters in an Aug. 24 interview over a slew of topics, including “gender transition” medical interventions for minors, immigration enforcement, Sharia law, taxes on the wealthy, and the Iran war.

El-Sayed, a progressive who defeated the establishment favorite in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary Aug. 4, is facing Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in November in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.

El-Sayed on immigration enforcement

El-Sayed opened the “Jesse Watters Primetime” interview by telling Watters he hoped the two could have a “good, wholesome conversation,” saying they “both love America” and “freedom.” The discussion quickly turned to El-Sayed’s call to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the two disagreeing over the agency’s record.

El-Sayed argued that the federal government enforced immigration law before ICE was created in 2003 under its predecessor, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

“We were able to enforce our immigration policies without shooting people in the face and the back of the head,” El-Sayed said.

Watters responded that the INS “did the same thing as ICE back then” and asked El-Sayed how many illegal immigrants were living in the country.

“I mean, to your point –– Jesse, Jesse, let me just answer the question,” El-Sayed said amid cross-talk. “To your point, we had far fewer under INS. If you want to do that correlation, we have ICE now, and we have far, far more undocumented people. So ICE is clearly not working.”

El-Sayed repeatedly argued that immigration was not among the issues Michigan voters most frequently raised with him on the campaign trail.

“They’re asking me about how they’re going to afford their gas and groceries,” he said.

The exchange continued, with Watters saying Michiganders “also don’t want to get molested,” as he cited an ICE arrest of a Southeast Asian man accused of molesting a child.

Circumcision comparison sparks heated exchange

One of the interview’s sharpest exchanges, which quickly drew attention online, came when Watters pressed El-Sayed over “transgender” medical interventions for minors. The Fox News host asked El-Sayed if he believes “it’s okay for a parent to slash his kid’s ding-a-ling off.”

“Do you really want to have this conversation?” El-Sayed retorted. “Are you circumcised?”

“Yeah, but I mean that’s a personal question, doctor,” Watters replied.

Watters said circumcision is “different than castration,” but El-Sayed continued with the comparison.

I’m just saying that yes, circumcision is surgery on a kid’s ding-a-ling, so if you really want to bring that up, you can,” El-Sayed said. “I just think you guys are really selective about how you want to talk about these things.”

Watters called the comparison “wacky” and told El-Sayed that “Michigan’s not going for that. That is sick stuff.”

Watters also repeatedly asked El-Sayed whether men should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. Rather than giving a yes-or-no answer, El-Sayed said such questions “ought to be decided by people who govern sports” and that he was instead focused on “the health care crisis and Big Pharma.”

El-Sayed denies seeking to impose Sharia law

El-Sayed also faced questions about his past comments supporting Sharia law and Republican criticism of his views.

“Nobody is trying to push Sharia law on anyone else, just like I hope nobody is trying to push Canon law on anybody else, because we live in an America where you should have the freedom of religion,” El-Sayed said in response.

He added that he “would never want somebody to push their faith on me, and I would never want to push my faith on someone else,” and accused some Republicans of using the issue to target Muslims because of their religion.

The Democratic nominee then criticized Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., over proposed legislation that would bar foreign nationals who advocate for Sharia law from entering the U.S.

“The idea that you have somebody like Tommy Tuberville — who barely was good at coaching football — is out here trying to ban Sharia law when there’s less than 1% of the Muslim community in America, as if somehow Muslims are out here trying to push Sharia law, that seems to me to be deliberately targeting the Muslim community because they’re different,” El-Sayed said.

He also accused President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance of targeting him because of his religion, saying there is “statistical evidence” the two “like to target me simply as a function of my faith.”

Questions over Iran war

The pair also sparred over the ongoing war with Iran. Watters asked El-Sayed whether he was glad the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was dead. Khamenei was killed in the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes that began the Iran war Feb. 28.

El-Sayed said he would “never defend the Iranian regime” but argued that the U.S. should not have entered a conflict without a clear way out.

“I am going to defend the idea that we probably shouldn’t be fighting wars we don’t know how to get out of,” El-Sayed said. “Oopsie. You go to war, and you tell us that it’s going to be a special military operation. That was in February, and we’re now in September, almost, and we’re still fighting the special military operation. I mean, it’s not working.”

El-Sayed pointed to the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that Trump withdrew the U.S. from in 2018, arguing that the nuclear agreement provided stronger safeguards against an Iranian nuclear weapon than the current conflict.

Watters countered that he was pleased Iran’s nuclear facilities were “buried under a mountain of rubble.”

“You understand that, like, nuclear material doesn’t just go away because you buried it under a mountain of rubble?” El-Sayed responded. “You understand they can still go back and bury it out, right?”

Watters said the U.S. was “watching it from Space Force” and that if anyone digs up any nuclear material it will go “kaboom.”

Clash over taxing the wealthy

El-Sayed also reiterated his support for imposing additional taxes on people with more than $100 million in wealth, arguing that the revenue could be used for roads, infrastructure, and education.

“The question ultimately is, ‘Do you want to drive on good roads, or would you rather have a billionaire make a second billion?’” El-Sayed asked. “That’s what Mike Rogers wants. That’s what Donald Trump wants. Apparently, that’s what you want. I think the people in Michigan want something different.”

El-Sayed accused the host of “defending billionaires,” to which Watters said, “No, I just think I have the right to the fruits of my own labor. That’s America.”

Fox News reported that El-Sayed and his wife reported $686,069 in income in 2025, placing their household among Michigan’s top earners.

Throughout the interview, El-Sayed accused Watters of focusing on divisive social and cultural issues rather than the economic concerns he said Michigan voters raise with him.

“You have not asked me one time about the issues that people actually care about in Michigan,” he said, citing health care costs, gas prices, and groceries.

Watters closed by crediting El-Sayed for appearing on the network and by criticizing his platform.

“I respect the fact that you came on,” Watters 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 the stuff’s just straight up wacky. I don’t know if that’s going to fly in Michigan, but we’re going to find out.”

El-Sayed responded in closing, “If we want to have a serious conversation about what Michiganders are feeling, I’d love to come back on and talk about getting money out of politics and putting money in your pocket, passing Medicare for all because I’ll tell you none of that is wacky and that’s what Michiganders want.”

Michigan race remains close

Recent polling shows a tight contest between Rogers and El-Sayed. A Fox News poll conducted Aug. 6-10 found Rogers leading El-Sayed 51% to 47% among registered voters, though the result was within the survey’s margin of error. Republicans were also more unified behind Rogers than Democrats were behind El-Sayed, according to the poll.

An AARP Michigan survey conducted Aug. 9-11 similarly showed a close race, with El-Sayed leading 48% to 47% among likely voters. Rogers held a nine-point advantage among voters aged 50 and older. The poll found that affordability, Social Security, and health care ranked among voters’ top concerns.

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New - polls - Michigan

🔵 El-Sayed 48% 🔴 Rogers 47%

🔵 Benson 49% 🔴 James 44%

AARP #A - LV - 8/11

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TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: elsayed; jessewatters; michigan; sharia; waters

[stanne]

It wasn’t great. Watters is not as informed as he can be. He’s a good debater

I did notice yesterday Gutfeld talked about this on his show like three times trying to stir up hatred for Jesse

It’s just a bad move.

It is not funny, and you know he gets letters to stop this that he ignores

Anyone who has spent any time with middle school girls- that’s everyone- probably puts this behavior right into the cheap shot jealousy category

Bad form gutfeld

[Da Coyote]

The only thing worth considering about the awfulness of the Muzzie candidates is that if elected, they stand a 99% chance of being mentioned in future history as the assholes who caused civilization to initiate Crusades II, which resulted in completing what should have been done in Crusades I.

Islam is the enemy of western civilization.

[Son-Joshua]

Jessie missed a whopper. The muslim is not a doctor although he told jessie he was. Never took the Mcat’s. Only attended medical school for 2 years BUT said he’s a doctor.

Another Jill Biden moment.

[stanne]

I’m sure they look at our country and say- crusades II? Don’t make me laugh

It’s bad form to leave this to the kids. Needs taking care of now. That’s where Jesse came off like a caricature of a news anchor

[MayflowerMadam]

How far we’ve fallen when credible news people discuss ding-a-lings. Someone mentioned that the slide downward started with “boxers or briefs”.

[Freee-dame]

That was one of the worst interviews conducted by a conservative that I have ever watched. Jesse Watters should have had a rebuttal ready for every one of Abdul’s claims. Instead, Jesse just grinned or moved on to the next question most of the time.

Abdul repeated his preferred talking points again and again. It was a free 24 minute primetime TV ad for him. Abdul will be using clips from it for the rest of his campaign. It was enough to have me stop watching Jesse Watters. His was the last FoxNews prime time show I was watching anyway. Now it is zero.

[stanne]

Ya. I agree. So lame. Then Gutfeld makes fun of Jesse. What good does that do?

[FlingWingFlyer]

I wish Jessie would have kicked the Pork Chop pimp’s azz. We don’t need crap like El-Kabong in America smirking at us every time we mention the WTC. Bastards.

[Taxman]

I did not watch the interview, but could this have been a
Jesse Waters version of “Rope-A-Dope?”

IOW, let the Bozo hang himself with his own rhetoric?

Abdul is quite obviously bat-shit crazy, and a clear and present danger to Michiganders and the USA. Jesse’s audience should be able to grasp those facts.

[Bratch]

Jesse Watters Debates Islamic DSA Candidate Abdul El-Sayed

August 25, 2026 | Sundance

When I watch this type of debate, I am reminded why I stopped watching Fox News. Islamic Communist Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly claims Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not needed, because the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) used to handle deportations. He says why do we need ICE when INS used to work just fine.

Big hair Watters could just easily say, because when the INS was in operation, we had less than a million illegal aliens and now we have 50+ million; that’s why. But no, they end up talking in circles about an issue that is a priority of most American citizens.

On each issue, it is very easy to take apart Abdul El-Sayed with policy facts and structural realism. However, that wouldn’t work for the communist cause, so Jesse Watters instead just banters for the audience giving legitimacy to the nonsense. Extremely annoying.  Both of these guys are the problem.

El-Sayed GRILLED: 'I don't think you're very good at math'

[MayflowerMadam]

“Gutfeld makes fun of Jesse.”

I think it’s a schtick, and they’re very good friends. He makes fun of Jesse in almost every show. And Brian Kilmeade, too.

[stanne]

Jesse went on Gutfeld show about a year ago on his book selling tour. It was strained, unfriendly and not funny

Gutfeld has on Emily, Dana, kilmeade and others who frequent the five. Jesse never comes on

Gutfeld jokes about Jesse are not funny. No one laughs. No one cares about whether he wears a toupee. It is not funny

Gutfeld can be funny. But Kat and Tyrus are sour puss sidekicks and Gutfeld relies on schtick that doesn’t land. And is repetitive

He has no competition so it’s lazy

But this was especially cheap

[MayflowerMadam]

“That was one of the worst interviews conducted by a conservative that I have ever watched.”

It was cringe worthy. Why didn’t Jesse get him re his fake “Doctor” title? It seemed that he had done no prep for the interview.

[Antoninus]

Fox is a parody of conservatives.

El-Sayed is not a serious candidate. He should be attacked without mercy, specifically for calling attention to those areas where he most obviously displays cognitive dissonance.

For example, how can a devout Muslim support the current planks of the Democrat party which include unlimited rights to abortion and rainbow people issues? Doesn't Sharia Law forbid homosexual to marry? Does he think homos should be allowed to marry? Sharia law also says that abortion should not be allowed after 120 days. Does he agree with that? If not, is he not a devout Muslim?

Every effort should be made to get this clown's Muslim followers and his pink-haired followers to get angry with him and at each other.

It should be very easy to do.

[MayflowerMadam]

Yeah. We’ve about had enough of Gutfeld. The only ones with brains seem to be Tyrus and Emily. Also, Machi is pretty smart when he moves out of his comedian role and gets serious. I despise Kennedy when she’s on. Kat: pffft!

The comedians he brings on ... not funny

[Polyxene]

I also stopped watching Fox News. To me, Jesse always came across as a frat boy jock who still thinks he’s BMOC, and Gutfeld came across as the class clown. JMHO.

[stanne]

Sometimes he has a good show
Michael Loftus Cracks me up
Tom Shillue is good. His impressions of Biden were ans funny as anything anyone ever did on SNL since ‘75
Emily needs to cut everything she says in half. Kennedy doesn’t bother me. Dagan is good

[Fledermaus]

They are friends and co-workers. It’s called ribbing.

[Fledermaus]

Bingo.

I watched it. I don’t know what others saw.