Democrat Abdul El-Sayed appeared on Fox News's primetime show, hosted by Jesse Watters, and responded effectively to Watters's aggressive questioning despite being interrupted frequently. El-Sayed managed to land some hits, including calling his Republican opponent Mike Rogers a "beta" for avoiding campaign confrontation. During the interview, El-Sayed also noted that he was outspent 11-1 in his previous election against Rep. Haley Stevens and implied that AIPAC's support of her may have contributed to his loss. The exchange was notable for Watters's heavy-handed questioning style and El-Sayed's ability to counter with effective responses despite the challenging format.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Abdul El-Sayed, a former candidate for governor of Michigan, appeared on Fox News to be interviewed by Jesse Watters. Despite being shouted at and not given much opportunity to speak, El-Sayed managed to make some key points and "seized a share of the spoils" in the interview. The segment focused on El-Sayed's past progressive positions, which Republicans claim are radical and threaten society. However, when El-Sayed was able to respond substantively, he effectively countered his critics' arguments. Meanwhile, the article also mentions that Donald Trump issued a pardon to former sheriff Joe Arpaio in 2017, but notes that the Supreme Court later ruled that racial profiling is acceptable and that Trump has been issuing pardons "like Tic Tacs" since then.
Written for “Abdul El-Sayed on Fox News” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
On this day in 2017, Donald Trump issued his first pardon.
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Trump → issue → pardon
It went to Joe Arpaio, a former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, found guilty of criminal contempt of court for refusing to stop racially profiling suspected undocumented immigrants.
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It → go → immigrants
Nine years on, the Supreme Court says such profiling is fine and Trump hands out pardons like Tic Tacs.
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Trump → say → Tacs
Martin here, having undertaken the altogether unenviable task of watching Abdul El-Sayed go on Fox to be shouted at by Jesse Watters, the better to distill the result for your reading pleasure.
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Sayed → undertake → pleasure
The short version, to put it in the language of an English soccer manager, is the boy done good, all in all.
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version → put → all
There was a deal of nonsensical stuff about progressive positions El-Sayed has taken in past years and which Republicans think mean society is about to crash down around their ears, but then there was always going to be and if El-Sayed sometimes dodged the question, that often had to be inferred
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that → be → question
because his host wouldn’t shut up.
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host → shut → ?
When El-Sayed did drag the interview his way, and offered more substantive points, he seized a share of the spoils.
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he → drag → spoils
Elsewhere, it was another wholly ludicrous day in Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new sanctions for Iran but shrank from actually confronting countries like China and Russia that continue to trade with Tehran.
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that → announce → Tehran
Let’s read on.
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’s → let → ?
‘You Got to Give Credit to Abdul’
Abdul El-Sayed sat for an interview with Fox carnival barker Jesse Watters in primetime and did quite well.
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Sayed → got → primetime
So much of the 26-minute exchange was taken up with Watters talking over his guest that the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan might’ve wondered why he bothered.
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he → take → Michigan
But the hits El-Sayed landed, when he managed to shut Watters up, outweighed some awkward moments.
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he → land → moments
El-Sayed made Watters laugh, repeatedly, by calling Republican opponent Mike Rogers a “beta,” for avoiding campaign confrontation and not appearing on Watters’s show.
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Watters → make → show
Whether any Democrat should be joshing with the sort of host who opened with a seven-minute rant about communists and pointedly, repeatedly called his guest “Abdul in Michigan” might be debated.
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who → josh → Michigan
So might the chances of El-Sayed’s tax policy ever being given a fair hearing on Fox.
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policy → give → Fox
But consider four minutes that closed out the interview.
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that → consider → interview
Watters said: “Black people in Michigan voted for this white lady you ran against” – Rep. Haley Stevens – “by like eight points over you.
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you → say → you
What happened there?”
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What → happen → ?
El-Sayed said: “Well, Jesse, I mean you said it yourself, right?
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you → say → it
You got to give credit to Abdul.
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You → get → Abdul
He ran against the machine.
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He → run → machine
I got outspent 11-1.”
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I → outspent → ?
He didn’t mention AIPAC, the pro-Israel group that backed Stevens heavily.
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that → mention → Stevens
Curiously, Watters didn’t bring up Israel either.
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Watters → bring → Israel
El-Sayed mentioned Hasan Piker, the livestreamer Republicans want to tie to him to, presently at the heart of yet another confected “scandal” about so-called antisemitism.
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Republicans → mention → antisemitism
That might yet count as an unforced error, but Watters didn’t pounce.
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Watters → count → error
An exchange on “sharia law” might’ve had Fox-watching bigots salivating, but it went best for El-Sayed, who pointed out that it’s just the same as “canon law,” a concept familiar to Christians like Watters and his viewers, only for Muslims, free to practice their faith like all others.
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it → have → others
Ultimately, El-Sayed succeeded in bringing Watters back to his core campaign message: Forget the culture war hoo-hah, let’s talk about healthcare, inequality, and the cost of living.
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’s → succeed → living
