CNN commentator Van Jones publicly criticised Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed over his stance on Israel, calling his positions "insane" and questioning whether El-Sayed believed he was wiser than former President Barack Obama on foreign policy. Jones made the remarks on the "Ask Haviv Anything" podcast while discussing what he described as a fracturing of the historic alliance between Black and Jewish Americans, and warned that similar views among progressive Democrats were becoming a "dangerous" trend within the party.

Jones said El-Sayed supports a total arms embargo against Israel, including defensive weapons such as missile interceptors, which he contrasted with what he called a more defensible Democratic position of conditioning military aid. He noted that Obama had backed the development of Israel's Iron Dome interceptor system, arguing El-Sayed's stance effectively rejected Obama's approach. Other commentators, including Democratic consultant Julian Epstein and former Trump administration official Theo Wold, echoed and expanded on the criticism, with Wold linking El-Sayed's views to what he called a broader pattern among recent immigrant communities.