Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed at a metro Detroit rally Monday, telling him to stop attacking his wife, Usha Vance, and focus instead on policy.
The rally was organized by MAGA Inc., a super PAC aligned with President Trump.
“I actually think that the people of Michigan think it’s kind of weird when you talk about another guy’s wife,” Vance told the crowd. “I think the people of Michigan would like you to talk about the public policy ideas … I think the people of Michigan would like you to talk about how you’re going to protect auto workers when you’re supporting every single policy that has undercut the wages and jobs of Michigan auto workers your entire life in public service.”
Vance added: “But whatever you want to talk about, Abdul, keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth because she’s way out of your league.”
The social media exchange
Vance’s comment was a response to a social media post from El-Sayed asking “do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no,” after the vice president suggested Sharia law would have been an alien concept to his grandfather.
Critics said El-Sayed’s post appeared to target Usha Vance’s Indian heritage. El-Sayed later said he was making a point about Vance implying some Americans are “more American” than others based on how long their families have been in the country, noting that Vance’s own in-laws are immigrants.
Conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky responded, “If you’re a rural White American living in Michigan, just remember El-Sayed believes you’re a racist.”
Trucking, immigration and ‘evil’
Earlier in his speech, Vance argued El-Sayed’s positions on immigration undercut his claims to support working people, pointing to trucking safety.
“We’re here to talk about protecting Michigan truck drivers, but also protecting the safety of every single person who drives on the road with a semi truck, which is all of us,” Vance said. “Here’s the crazy thing. Just a few years ago, Abdul El-Sayed said that we need to make sure that illegal aliens have driver’s licenses in this country. He would love to undercut the wages of American truckers.”
In 2018, El-Sayed had voiced support for allowing people in the country illegally to obtain standard driver’s licenses, though he did not specifically call for extending commercial driver’s licenses—required for long-haul trucking—to that group.
Vance also described El-Sayed as representing a “terrible evil” during the speech. El-Sayed fired back later Monday, turning the label on Vance himself.
“Evil is ripping healthcare away from working people in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires. Evil is making people pay more for groceries and gas while pushing for trade wars and actual war. Evil is dividing people for your own gain. Evil is selling out your morals for a little bit of power,” El-Sayed said.
He continued: “Michigan is better than being lectured to by sock puppets from Ohio and Florida. We understand what’s at stake, and Michiganders will show you at the ballot box this November when we send Mike Rogers packing.”
Despite their sharp differences on immigration, Vance and El-Sayed do agree, in principle, that tariffs should be used to benefit American industry.
El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat in August, backed at the time by state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel Jr. He faces Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on Monday.
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