El-Sayed becomes first Muslim US Senator, tells Trump: 'Call me Senator'
Epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Senate race Tuesday, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Congress's upper chamber. The 42-year-old defeated Republican Mike Rogers despite President Trump repeatedly attacking him on the campaign trail and AIPAC spending $42 million against his candidacy, per El-Sayed.
In his victory speech, El-Sayed addressed Trump directly: "I know you struggled with my name. So after JD swears me in in January, you can just call me Senator." To Vice President JD Vance, he added: "JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in."
El-Sayed campaigned on universal healthcare, economic populism, and ending US military aid to Israel—arguing taxpayer funds should fund domestic schools, healthcare, and infrastructure instead. He framed advocacy for Palestinian rights as "love, not hate," saying Palestinian children deserve to grow up "without being murdered by our tax dollars."
The win helps Democrats flip the Senate majority. For Nigerians watching, it signals shifting US political dynamics on Middle East policy and Muslim representation. El-Sayed's platform—redirecting foreign military spending to domestic needs—echoes debates familiar in Nigerian politics about resource allocation.
Will this change how America engages with the Muslim world, or is it symbolic representation within an unchanged system?