Following a historic victory in Michigan's U.S. Senate race, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has expressed support for a key foreign policy proposal announced by President Donald Trump. El-Sayed, a 42-year-old former public health official, defeated Republican Mike Rogers as the Democratic Party reclaimed control of Congress, becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
Despite running a progressive campaign focused on Medicare for All, lowering costs, and eliminating corporate money from politics, El-Sayed now finds himself aligned with Trump on U.S. assistance to Israel. Trump recently announced plans to terminate roughly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the end of the year, though details regarding how the reductions would be executed remain unspecified.
Speaking after his election win, El-Sayed welcomed the president's initiative. "I think the president is actually right on this policy," El-Sayed stated. "I'd also like to see us stop selling weaponry that gets used to do the worst things, including genocide and apartheid, to Israel."
Currently, the United States supplies Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military assistance under a bilateral agreement scheduled to run through 2028. El-Sayed's stance on military support extends beyond Israel, as he also questioned continued U.S. military aid to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Pakistan, arguing that American tax dollars ought to be directed toward domestic priorities instead.
Foreign policy regarding Israel and the war in Gaza served as a central point of contention throughout the Michigan campaign. Rogers, who received Trump's endorsement, repeatedly targeted El-Sayed over his Muslim faith and his opposition to U.S. military assistance for Israel. The issue created deep intra-party friction as well; Haley Stevens, whom El-Sayed defeated during the Democratic primary, broke ranks to endorse Rogers just days before the general election amid a sharp dispute over Israel.
The race also highlighted internal party divisions among local voter groups. Ahead of the election, some Jewish and Black voters in Michigan voiced reservations regarding El-Sayed's candidacies. When asked whether additional outreach was needed to build broader support among those communities, El-Sayed noted that the election outcome challenged that narrative while acknowledging ongoing community engagement. "There's always more work to do. There's always more to build. There's always more conversations to have," he said.
Abdul El-Sayed with his wife, Sarah Jukaku, during an election night watch party in Detroit. Salwan Georges/Getty Images hide caption
Winning Michigan's Senate seat, however, doesn't mean every division within his party has disappeared.
