El-Sayed turns Vance’s ‘evil’ jibe into attack on Trump policies

DETROIT (MNTV) — Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed responded to Vice President JD Vance after Vance called him “very, very evil” at a Detroit rally, turning the personal attack into a broader critique of Republican policy.

Vance offered no explanation for the accusation, saying only that something about El-Sayed was “very, very evil” and growing more prominent. 

On CNN later, El-Sayed rejected the label and, rather than answer in kind, argued that genuinely harmful conduct lies in policy choices on war, healthcare, taxation, and corporate favoritism that benefit powerful interests at ordinary people’s expense. 

He also accused some leaders of abandoning their principles for power — an apparent reference to Vance, who criticized Trump before later allying with him.

The exchange reflects the increasingly combative Michigan Senate race. 

El-Sayed, who won a closely watched primary this month, runs on a progressive platform including abolishing ICE, reducing U.S. financial support for Israel, and Medicare for All; he faces former Republican Representative Mike Rogers in a battleground state.

The contest is unfolding against a difficult backdrop for Republicans — the Iran war, economic strains, and Trump’s low approval.

Vance’s attack may further nationalize the race, turning El-Sayed’s candidacy into a referendum on the Trump era. 

For El-Sayed, it offered a chance to shift from a provocative insult to a debate over power and policy; for Republicans, it illustrated the difficulty of casting him as extreme without inviting scrutiny of the administration’s own record.