Democratic senator-elect calls Trump ‘unserious fool’ while defending combative political style

Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic senator-elect, defended his combative political style and said Democrats have a responsibility to confront Donald Trump in similarly blunt terms. His remarks highlight his view that traditional political decorum is inadequate, while raising questions about how that approach will work in the Senate.

Speaking on Pod Save America, El-Sayed called Trump an “unserious fool” and compared him to a bully who becomes stronger when others do not stand up to him. He won his race against Republican Mike Rogers by seven points, matching a prediction that had been criticised as cocky. The article also revisits El-Sayed’s 2020 claim that Trump’s rhetoric contributed to a toxic climate around a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer; the FBI said the plot originated before Trump’s “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” post.