El-Sayed doubles down on calling Trump “dumbest fu**ing guy who ever was president”

Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed has stood by his recent description of President Donald Trump as “the dumbest fu**ing guy who ever was president,” arguing that Trump’s bullying and narcissism require a tough, unvarnished response rather than traditional political decorum.

The remarks originated during a Nov. 5 appearance at a live Pod Save America recording at Washington’s Warner Theatre, shortly after El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Senate race.

Abdul El-Sayed absolutely destroys Donald Trump. Q: You recently called President Trump the dumbest effing guy who ever was president. AES: True. Q: You've also said Democrats should drop the decorum and treat the president as the unserious fool that he is. AES: True. Q: Why are you taking that approach? AES: Because he's a bully alongside being a narcissist. And the only way you deal with bullies is to stand up to them. Bullies don't bully you because they necessarily care for the thing you have. They bully you because they like to bully you because it makes them feel strong. And the way you take on a bully is to bully back. Because then they learn that this does not make them feel strong. It makes them feel weak and they don't like to feel weak. So they back off. And the more you let a bully get away with bullying, the more they signal to everybody else that this person cannot be stood up to. And so I think it's important for us to stand up to him.

— Reggie B. (@reggiebblue) November 12, 2026

There, the progressive Democrat and former public health official also said Democrats have a responsibility to “engage with him as the unserious fool that he is” and described his own approach as “crass and obnoxious.”

He reiterated that stance in an NPR interview with host Leila Fadel, aired on Thursday on Morning Edition and the Newsmakers podcast.

When asked to confirm the comments, El-Sayed replied “True” to both.

El-Sayed framed his statements around confronting what he sees as Trump’s core traits.

“Because he’s a bully, alongside being a narcissist. And the only way you deal with bullies is to stand up to them,” he told Fadel.

“Bullies don’t bully you because they necessarily care for the thing you have. They bully you because they like to bully you because it makes them feel strong. And the way you take on a bully is to bully back. Because then they learn that this does not make them feel strong. It makes them feel weak, and they don’t like to feel weak. So they back off.”

He added that failing to push back only emboldens the behavior and signals to others that it cannot be challenged.

At the Pod Save America event, El-Sayed expanded on the same theme: “If you’ve ever watched a bully in a room, if you don’t stand up to the bully, it’s not like the bully will just go away. If you don’t stand up to the bully, the bully just gets stronger for two reasons: because they think they can get away with it, and they always want more.”

He acknowledged the approach is uncommon among Democrats but necessary, saying, “So I’m just going to be crass and obnoxious, because you’re an a--hole.”

El-Sayed, 42, became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate after defeating Republican Mike Rogers on Nov. 3.

His campaign faced intense personal attacks, including from Trump, who labeled him a “jihadist,” and from Vice President JD Vance.

Despite the sharp rhetoric, El-Sayed has left the door open to cooperation, telling NPR he would meet with Trump and even float naming major healthcare legislation after the president if it advanced the policy.

“Donald, if you’re listening, there’s a lot we could work on. Happy to have a meeting,” he said.

The senator-elect has previously described Trump in similar terms, including calling him an “idiot” and “fool” in earlier interviews while criticizing aspects of administration policy.