Fox News host Jesse Watters grilled Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on his positions on taxes and culture war issues during a Monday evening interview on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” with the two clashing over immigration policy, Iran, and other topics.
El-Sayed, a physician and former public health official who won Michigan’s Democratic primary on August 4, defended his support for Medicare for All and higher taxes to fund it. Watters pressed him on the proposal, while El-Sayed argued that his plan would reduce overall healthcare costs for Americans despite requiring tax increases.
The interview also centered on culture war topics, with Watters asking El-Sayed about his positions on gender-affirming care for minors and transgender athletes. El-Sayed responded by saying he was focused on economic issues. “I’m not here to fight a culture war; I’m here to fight the affordability crisis that people are facing,” he said, according to reporting from Yahoo News.
On immigration, El-Sayed called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that the agency is ineffective. He contrasted ICE’s record with that of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which preceded it. “We were able to enforce our immigration policies without shooting people in the face and the back of the head,” El-Sayed said, per The Hill. When Watters challenged him on undocumented immigration numbers, El-Sayed responded: “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.”
The two also sparred over Iran policy. Watters asked if El-Sayed was “glad the ayatollah is dead,” referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes in February that sparked a broader conflict. El-Sayed said he would “never defend the Iranian regime” but criticized the war, citing the Obama-era nuclear deal. “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 said, according to The Hill.
El-Sayed used the interview to contrast himself with Republican opponent Mike Rogers, a former congressman. He said Rogers was “ducking” debates and called him a “beta,” using an online term for weak or unsuccessful men. “He won’t even come on your show. He’s afraid of getting grilled,” El-Sayed said. El-Sayed also referenced left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has fundraised for his campaign, suggesting Rogers was running against the wrong opponent.
The interview marked a significant platform for El-Sayed, who has never held elected office but emerged as the progressive choice in a contentious primary that divided Michigan Democrats. He defeated establishment-backed Representative Haley Stevens despite facing a significant advertising disadvantage, according to NBC News. The November general election will pit him against Rogers in a race for Michigan’s open Senate seat.
Sources
- The Hill — El-Sayed’s clash with Watters on immigration, Iran, and Mike Rogers; direct quotes from the interview
- Fox News — Details on El-Sayed’s positions on taxes, healthcare, and culture war topics during the interview
- Yahoo News — El-Sayed’s quote on culture wars versus affordability crisis
- NBC News — Confirmation of El-Sayed’s primary victory and his background as a public health official
- Ballotpedia — El-Sayed’s primary victory over Haley Stevens on August 4, 2026
