Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed refused to call Israel a U.S. ally on a debate stage Thursday night, and the bipartisan establishment proved his point by treating a basic America-first statement as heresy. The real question for working Americans: why does Washington enforce loyalty oaths to foreign powers on American soil?
During a heated Grand Rapids debate, Republican rival Mike Rogers pressed El-Sayed on which country poses a greater threat to the U.S. — Israel or Iran. El-Sayed wouldn't play along. "I don't consider an ally a country that takes us to wars we don't need to fight," he said, according to the New York Post. Rogers had also grilled El-Sayed for failing to mark the third anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack; El-Sayed said he had condemned the attack but accused Rogers of turning other people's pain into "political theater."
The reaction was swift and revealing. The Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus has refused to formally endorse El-Sayed despite backing other federal candidates, the Post reported. Political science professor David Dulio told the Post that Jewish Democrats in Michigan were "likely listening for a question like this to help them make up their minds" — a remarkable admission that allegiance to a foreign government is being treated as a litmus test for American officeholders.
President Trump declared on Truth Social that Rogers "completely obliterated" El-Sayed, labeling him a "Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country" and a "RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer," Fox News reported. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters told Breitbart the committee is pouring resources into Rogers, calling Michigan "ground zero" for the cycle.
Breitbart framed El-Sayed as "an absolute leftist" who refused to deny receiving money from George Soros or terrorist groups. The Post buried the substance of his answer — that dragging Americans into unnecessary wars disqualifies a country from ally status — and focused instead on the political damage, quoting a DePauw University professor who said El-Sayed was "failing the rhetorical challenge."
What neither side wants to address: the money. U.S. military aid to Israel has totaled over $150 billion since 1948, with billions more flowing annually — no exit strategy, no defined American interest, no accountability. Every dollar shipped overseas is a dollar not spent on American infrastructure, American jobs, or American communities. El-Sayed, whatever his other flaws, articulated a principle the Founders would have recognized: a nation that entangles you in its wars is not your ally. The bipartisan eruption that followed confirmed who enforces the orthodoxy and who pays the price.
The race remains tight, with El-Sayed leading Rogers by 3.2 points in the RealClearPolling average, per Breitbart. Whether Michigan voters will reward a candidate who puts American interests first — or punish him for refusing to pledge allegiance to a foreign government — is the question the entire establishment is watching.
The open question: when did "America first" become a disqualifying position for American office?
