Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, told constituents at a July 2025 town hall that the U.S. should try to understand the grievances driving terrorists, suggesting that such attacks stem from pain, frustration, and a lack of agency.
The exchange was captured on video and first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
El-Sayed said at the South Haven, Michigan event that while using military force against terror organizations is “necessary,” American leaders also need to ask themselves what drives someone to carry out mass violence. He framed it as approaching politics the way he approached medicine: by trying to understand people’s pain.
The candidate said terrorism is political violence carried out in pursuit of a political end, and that the willingness to commit such acts reflects “a level of pain and frustration and a level of lack of agency.”
El-Sayed went further, arguing that terrorist attacks should prompt Americans to examine their own behavior abroad. He said the U.S. sets up international rules and then breaks them, creating resentment overseas. He accused Americans of being “high and mighty” in how they view global conflict and said that if elected, he would bring “empathy” to counterterrorism policy.
El-Sayed is a medical doctor and former Wayne County health director. He is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All and free higher education, and has been a vocal critic of Israel during the Gaza conflict.
The video surfaced this week as El-Sayed campaigns for the 2026 midterms in one of the most competitive Senate battlegrounds in the country. Republicans are targeting the seat as a pickup opportunity.
