Vice President J.D. Vance warned Monday that Democrat Abdul El‑Sayed is helping to fuel the rise of “evil” and “hatred” that is poisoning political debate, fueling antisemitism and undermining national unity in America.
The comments came as Mr. Vance worked to boost Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race while preparing for a closed‑door appearance in Las Vegas with the Jewish Republicans — a group that has largely embraced the Trump administration’s approach to Israel but, in some cases, still harbors doubts about Mr. Vance, particularly his ties to Tucker Carlson, one of the loudest critics of U.S. support for Israel.
It made for a split‑screen day: a stop in Sterling Heights, then a visit to the Republican Jewish Coalition’s National Leadership Summit at the Venetian. Together, the events show how the fight over the U.S.-Israel relationship is shaping this year’s midterms. Republicans have accused Democrats of stoking antisemitism even as the GOP works through its own internal spats over Israel.
Meanwhile, Democrats are fielding candidates, including Mr. El‑Sayed, who have accused Israel of carrying out “genocide” in Gaza and support ending taxpayer assistance to the Jewish nation.
Mr. Vance said Mr. El‑Sayed’s response to the recent attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield revealed a distorted worldview. He argued that Mr. El‑Sayed sympathized with the attacker who tried to drive a truck into the synagogue rather than the children whose lives were put at risk.
He also seized on Mr. El‑Sayed’s remark that “hurt people hurt people,” calling it an excuse for violence against the Jewish community. “What I see is a man who has sympathy and compassion for people who share his religion, but has nothing for people who don’t,” Mr. Vance said. “A person who will apologize for a murderer so long as he looks the right way, but will not understand the plight of an innocent child if that person has the wrong faith.”
He added, “That is the root of this terrible evil I believe in the United States of America that is on the rise.”
A Muslim and the son of Egyptian immigrants, Mr. El-Sayed tried to walk the comment back. Over the weekend, he apologized to a group of Jewish Democrats, saying “nobody deserves to have their pain trampled on.”
All of this is unfolding against a backdrop of rising economic strain. The fight over Israel policy — layered on top of the war in Iran — has kept gas prices high and rattled global markets, deepening voter frustration over the high cost of living.
The Trump administration tried to get ahead of some of that frustration Monday, announcing a crackdown on truck‑driving schools that license non‑English speakers.
Mr. Vance held that up as a contrast with Mr. El‑Sayed, saying he once argued that the country needs to “make sure that illegal aliens have driver’s licenses in this country.”
“He would love to undercut the wages of American truckers. He’d love to give their jobs to illegal aliens, and he’d love to make the streets less safe again,” Mr. Vance said.
Mr. El‑Sayed, for his part, tried to get out ahead of Mr. Vance’s visit. He said at a press conference that the U.S. trade fight with Canada — which Mr. Rogers has backed — is already costing Michigan families thousands of dollars a year and fits into a broader pattern of economic harm.
“So if you’re starting a trade war with Canada, it’s because you’re the a—hole,” he said.
He framed Mr. Vance’s trip as an attempt to justify policies driving up the cost of groceries, gas and other basics, and dismissed Mr. Rogers as a “rubber stamp” for Mr. Trump’s agenda.
“His reason for running was that Donald Trump called him and told him to,” Mr. El-Sayed said. “In fact, there’s nothing that Donald Trump will call him and tell him to do that he won’t willingly do.”
Mr. Rogers warned voters that Mr. El-Sayed cannot be trusted.
“I know a con man when I see one,” he said. “Abdul, this is not about how you pray. This is not about your name. It is about the ideas that you have for big socialist government for our state and our country.”
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