Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed said Sunday that Democrats will work with President Donald Trump to help the American people if “he wants to act serious,” but if the president instead chooses “foolishness,” the incoming senator said he will not find a willing partner in Congress.
“Let’s talk about how he is an unserious fool. Think about this war in Iran that every single president had resisted fighting because, of course, it was a dumb idea,” El-Sayed told ABC “This Week” in an exclusive interview. “Let’s talk about the foolishness of a tariff war with Canada. … Let’s talk about the foolishness of gutting Medicaid to pass tax cuts for the richest people in America.”
Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) appears on ABC News’ “This Week.”
ABC News
“So look, if he wants to act serious, we are happy to work alongside him to actually address these issues,” El-Sayed continued. “He is the president of the United States. But if he wants to continue to fool, he will hire people like Stephen Miller to run the White House, and he gets to choose where he goes next.”
President Trump on Friday said White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller would assume the role of chief of staff effective Monday, replacing Susie Wiles.
With his victory in Michigan’s Senate race last Tuesday, El-Sayed is set to make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator. During his campaign, El-Sayed said he focused his message on three issues: “to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket and pass Medicare for all.”
But the issue that most defined both the contentious and close primary campaign against fellow Democrat Haley Stevens and the general election campaign against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers was U.S. support for Israel. El-Sayed has been a staunch critic of the Israeli government and U.S. military aid to Israel.
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a midterm election night watch party at the Department at Hudson’s on Nov. 4, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan.
Salwan Georges/Getty Images
Asked on “This Week” if he’s heard from his Republican opponent, El-Sayed said, “Not that I know of. I think he had a flight to catch to Florida.”
Despite differences and his criticism of Trump, El-Sayed did say he would be willing to work with the president if it would help “advance the goals I ran on, to get money out of politics, put money in pockets, pass Medicare for All.”
“I’ve said this, if he wants to pass Trump care for all, which will guarantee health care to everyone and put his name on it like he’s putting his name on everything, I’m game,” El-Sayed said.
Karl also pressed El-Sayed on his past criticism of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. El-Sayed said that he and Schumer “figured out how to work together” during the campaign but he did not pledge to support a Schumer bid to become majority leader.
“The question to me is, who wants to be the leader who’s going to make sure that we deliver on the mandate that we just got? I want to see who else is in the running,” El-Sayed said.
El-Sayed voiced support for Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who has not publicly announced intention to become majority leader. El-Sayed stressed that he is looking for a leader “who is ready to take action on day one,” adding that he has “not been impressed by what we’ve been able to do.”
“I want leadership who is going to deliver on the goal of getting money out of politics, put money in pockets, passed Medicare for all. As you know, a vote is a choice between two or more options. I don’t know what those options are, but I am committed to making sure that we can deliver on the goals that we need, and we need action now,” El-Sayed said.
Former President Barack Obama raises the hand of Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.
Paul Sancya/AP Photo
El-Sayed also reflected on his own journey to becoming Michigan’s next senator, again recounting a story from 2007 where he gave a speech to his graduating college class, and the commencement speaker, former President Bill Clinton, told him to run for office. El-Sayed said he initially dismissed the former president.
“I laughed in his face. I said, ‘Mr. President, I don’t know if you saw my name. It’s got 11 letters in it. People like me don’t get to run for office.’”
El-Sayed said it was watching President Barack Obama get elected the following year that opened the path for him to run for office.
“[President Clinton] saw something in me I’d never seen in myself. And President Obama showed me something in me I’d never seen in myself. And 19 years later, I’m grateful to be the senator-elect from the state of Michigan,” said El-Sayed.
