Anti-Israel Michigan Senate Candidate Faces Bizarre Live Interview Question on Circumcision

Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan known for his strong anti-Israel views, confronted Fox News host Jesse Watters with an unusual and awkward question about circumcision during a live interview on August 25, 2026. The exchange occurred amid a debate on gender-affirming surgeries for minors, where El-Sayed challenged government involvement in such medical procedures by asking Watters, "Are you circumcised?" Watters was visibly taken aback and responded by distinguishing circumcision from castration, which El-Sayed criticized as a government interference issue.

The interview further escalated when Watters questioned El-Sayed about his stance on transgender athletes competing in women's sports, a topic that visibly frustrated the candidate. El-Sayed deflected the question, stating that decisions about sports participation should be left to sports authorities and called the question "crazy." Throughout the interview, El-Sayed avoided providing clear answers on healthcare costs, the size of the U.S. budget, and previous claims about racism in the NFL.

El-Sayed holds a complex position on immigration enforcement, supporting the detention of some undocumented immigrants while advocating for the abolition of ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He appears to favor reinstating an older immigration agency dissolved after 9/11 due to failures. Watters criticized this stance as bureaucratic evasion.

El-Sayed, who defeated moderate Democrat Haley Stevens in the Michigan Senate primary earlier in August, is set to face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman and FBI agent, in a race that could determine Senate control next year. El-Sayed is among the most outspoken critics of Israel to emerge from recent Democratic primaries, having refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and comparing it to Hamas, labeling it a "rogue state." The New York Post described the primary contest as a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party, pitting a centrist against a far-left candidate.