Abdul El-Sayed Defends His Stance Against Americans Showing Love for Country With Fireworks

Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is standing by his criticism of 4th of July fireworks.

El-Sayed, 41, addressed the controversy during an appearance on the nationally syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club on Monday, August 31, after host Charlamagne tha God asked him about criticism surrounding some of his past political positions, including his previous comments about fireworks.

“They’re coming at me on fireworks,” El-Sayed said. “I’m like, ‘All right, first, if your whole conception of America is that it’s fireworks, I’m so sorry. You don’t have a complete conception of America. But even then, right, like what is it?'”

During the radio appearance the politician went on to explain that his concerns centered on the potential health effects associated with fireworks displays.

“I said, ‘Well, every time we do a fireworks show, it destroys the air quality and people have asthma exacerbations and heart attacks the next day.’ That’s all I was saying,” El-Sayed told The Breakfast Club listeners. “You know what I mean? I’m not saying we shouldn’t have fireworks. I’m just saying maybe like there are other ways to show your love.”

According to Fox News Digital, his remarks come after CNN reported that El-Sayed had deleted or hidden roughly 100 videos from his YouTube channel before launching his Senate campaign. Among the videos was a 2024 episode in which El-Sayed urged Americans to “please” find another way to celebrate Independence Day besides fireworks, citing concerns about air pollution as well as risks to children and pets, per the report.

According to the report, El-Sayed’s video offered four reasons “why fireworks suck” and included a chapter titled, “Fireworks just aren’t worth it: hear us out.”

The resurfaced videos have also provided ammunition for El-Sayed’s Republican rival, Mike Rogers, who took aim at his past comments during an appearance on Hannity earlier in August.

“You can almost hear a collective gasp across Michigan for all the things he spends time hating on,” Rogers, 63, said on the episode. “When I go back I want to make sure we’re protecting our faith and our families and our factories and our freedoms while he’s advocating doing away with our fireworks, football, the 4th of July. This guy spent hours hating on what most Michiganders would enjoy in their pastimes. And he should be held to account for that.”

As National Enquirer previously reported, El-Sayed has also come under fire from Vice President JD Vance, who called the Democratic candidate “very, very evil” during an August 31 rally outside Detroit.

His attack followed a social media clash sparked by El-Sayed’s remarks about Usha Vance and suggesting the vice president’s late grandfather might have disapproved of their marriage. Vance, 42, warned El-Sayed to keep his wife’s name “the hell out of your mouth,” the New York Post reported.