El-Sayed expressed regret for his remark that “hurt people hurt people” after a madman rammed a truck with fireworks and gasoline into the daycare at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich. — a reference to the attacker’s family being killed in Lebanon.
“I made a mistake,” El-Sayed conceded at a Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus event on Saturday.
I should have issued a statement, of course, condemning it, and it just should have been the full stop.
Unfortunately, the candidate later told reporters "my comments may have been misconstrued to justify something I did not mean to justify To anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I'm really sorry. That was not my intention."
"Anyone" here refers to "people who don't like terrorist attacks" And of course he did not intend to hurt anyone. He made the remark- in an otherwise fine statement- because he believes what the NY Post assumes was "a madman" had a legitimate grievance, one which made his action reasonable.
Given in isolation, the comment would have been reprehensible. However, el-Sayed's apology at the caucus was definitive. He stated "I made a mistake," an admission most politicians don't make after screwing up. He added that he should have condemned the attack "full stop," which is exactly what he should have done.
But he stated also
If you want to make this race about a streamer in California, I just think you're missing the boat. This is about affordability in Michigan. This is about being able to see a doctor in Michigan. This is about Donald Trump's disastrous policies in Michigan. That's what I'm focused on right now. I am not interested in a cnversation about a social media person in California....
The campaign is partly about those things, as it should be. However, reality intrudes. The race also is about Hasan Piker, more than it should be as health care, Iran, tariffs, artificial intelligence, and other critical issues take a back seat. And el-Sayed still has not adequately addressed his relationship with Piker.
The Democratic nominee cannot depend on President Trump's extreme unpopularity to drag him across the finish line, especially with the possibility of an upswing in Donald's approval rating before November. El-Sayed could attempt to turn the tables on opponent Mike Rogers by highlighting the latter's own repulsive association(s) and, of course, denounce Piker. However, remaining on the defensive will only bring a loss in Michigan and virtually doom the righteous Democratic effort to retake the U.S. Senate.
📣 Abdul: I’m *not* a member of the press, I *am* a voter here in Michigan—one who’s actually raising money for you & who has pledged to vote for you—and *I* want to know why the fuck you brought that asshole to Michigan? https://t.co/v9Zynzj5xU
— @charlesgaba.com at Bluesky now (@charles_gaba) August 29, 2026
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