Abdul El-Sayed clashed with Martha MacCallum during a Fox News interview over his opposition to the Iran war, arguing that the conflict had made the region and American consumers less safe.
The Democratic Michigan Senate candidate was challenged on his views after condemning recent terrorist attacks as “awful and terrible” following the FlyDubai hijacking. MacCallum quoted El-Sayed as saying people should be curious about what causes individuals to commit such acts and what happens when they are in pain.
She suggested his comments amounted to arguing that the United States had been “on the wrong side of our own policies” and that terrorism was “our fault”.
“No, it’s not — the victim is never at fault, and terrorism is wrong no matter who perpetrates the terrorism, who it is perpetrated against,” El-Sayed replied.
He then turned to his central campaign position, saying: “War is a system of violence, when you think about a war we shouldn’t be fighting, like the war in Iran right now.”
MacCallum said Iran had created “a huge threat to the neighborhood and killed thousands of American citizens”. El-Sayed responded that the nuclear threat posed by Iran had been contained by Barack Obama’s Iran deal.
MacCallum questioned that claim, saying Iran had been breaking the agreement “by many estimations”. El-Sayed continued to ask whether military action made the US safer, saying: “Ask yourself, does more war make us safer?”
The exchange grew more heated as the pair discussed the Strait of Hormuz and energy prices. El-Sayed said the US had been able to choose peace but had instead chosen war, leaving oil and gas unable to move through the strait.
When MacCallum referred to a Wall Street Journal article suggesting the situation was nearing a point where oil could be taken out of the region, El-Sayed asked: “So why are our gas prices so high?”
MacCallum said economists expected prices to fall, but El-Sayed replied: “That’s not what Michiganders are experiencing at the pump.” She later accused him of filibustering, while he described her as a “fan” of the war in Iran.
El-Sayed is narrowly ahead of Republican former congressman Mike Rogers in polling, in a contest regarded as a toss-up. Democrats must win the seat as they seek the four gains needed to secure a majority in the Senate.
El-Sayed won the Democratic primary by a single point over congresswoman Haley Stevens. He performed strongly among Arab-American and younger voters, while Stevens won support from older Democrats and African-American voters.
Donald Trump responded to the interview at a rally in Nebraska, calling El-Sayed “a total communist”. He also criticised Fox News for putting El-Sayed and commentator Jessica Tarlov on air.
