{"id":11703,"date":"2026-07-20T16:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11703"},"modified":"2026-07-20T16:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:51:00","slug":"senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-calls-americas-political-system-a-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11703","title":{"rendered":"Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed calls America&#8217;s political system a &#8216;disease&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday described America&#8217;s political system as a &#8220;disease&#8221; moments after professing his love for the country where he was raised.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">El-Sayed delivered blistering attacks on the American political system during the final stop of &#8220;The People v. The Powerful&#8221; tour at DeVos Performance Hall in <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_97709\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/midwest\/michigan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grand Rapids<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">He spoke at the event alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as the trio criticized President Donald Trump, party leaders, corporations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The Egyptian American physician and former public health official first reflected on the opportunities he said America had afforded him, noting he received an &#8220;incredible&#8221; public university education and a medical education funded through the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_97710\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/dem-senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-recounts-smashing-vodka-bottle-after-beard-criticism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong><u>DEM SENATE HOPEFUL ABDUL EL-SAYED RECOUNTS SMASHING VODKA BOTTLE AFTER BEARD CRITICISM<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/abdul-el-sayed-2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"AOC, Abdul El-Sayed, and Bernie Sanders holds hands up during rally\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., from left, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speak during the &#8220;The People v. The Powerful&#8221; campaign event at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit on July 18, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Nic Antaya\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;No, don&#8217;t get it twisted. I love America. I know exactly what America gave to me. I know what my life would have been, but for America,&#8221; El-Sayed said. &#8220;I know what America can do, and at the same time, it&#8217;s impossible not to reflect on the worst moments of those 250 years as well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">He then argued that Trump was merely a symptom of broader problems in American politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Donald Trump is not, himself, the disease of our politics. He&#8217;s just the worst symptom of the disease of our politics,&#8221; El-Sayed said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;The disease? It&#8217;s the system that allows corporations and billionaires and special interests like AIPAC to buy and sell politicians to rig the system against us.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Ocasio-Cortez also echoed that message moments prior, telling the crowd, &#8220;You deserve a politics that treats the disease and not the symptoms.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_97711\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/bill-maher-calls-bernie-sanders-says-hes-tired-hearing-rich-dont-pay-fair-share-taxes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong><u>BILL MAHER CALLS OUT BERNIE SANDERS, SAYS HE&#8217;S TIRED OF HEARING THE RICH DON&#8217;T PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/abdul-el-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Abdul El-Sayed speaking during rally\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at &#8220;The People v. The Powerful&#8221; rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026, in Detroit.<\/span> <span>(Sarah Rice\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">El-Sayed then targeted the nation&#8217;s <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_97712\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/health-care\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">healthcare system<\/a>, arguing that medical debt should be eliminated and contrasting its cost with federal spending on political campaigns and foreign aid.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Medical debt shouldn&#8217;t exist,&#8221; he said, claiming the country&#8217;s roughly $225 billion in medical debt could be erased for about $2.25 billion because it can be purchased &#8220;for a penny on the dollar.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">He later turned his attention to ICE, calling it a &#8220;rogue agency&#8221; that should not exist.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;ICE has nothing to do with immigration. ICE has nothing to do with the southern border. ICE is about normalizing paramilitary forces on our streets. ICE is about weaponizing the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_97713\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/immigration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">idea of immigration<\/a> against the Constitution itself. ICE cannot be reformed. ICE cannot be retrained. ICE has to be abolished.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/343\/192\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/686\/384\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/672\/378\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1344\/756\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/931\/523\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1862\/1046\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/720\/405\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1440\/810\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200\/675\/bernie-sanders.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Sen. Bernie Sanders speaking.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Abdul El-Sayed during the final stop of &#8220;The People v. The Powerful&#8221; tour at DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids.\u00a0<\/span> <span>(Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong><u>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The Senate hopeful also described himself as &#8220;dangerous&#8221; to a range of political and corporate interests, including health insurers and Democratic leaders.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;If you&#8217;re Blue Cross Blue Shield, I&#8217;m dangerous,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If you&#8217;re Chuck Schumer, trading politicians like trading cards, I&#8217;m dangerous.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Bonny Chu is a Breaking and Trending News Writer for Fox News Digital<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday described America&#8217;s political system as a &#8220;disease&#8221; moments after professing his love for the country where he was raised. El-Sayed delivered blistering attacks on the American political system during the final stop of &#8220;The People v. The Powerful&#8221; tour at&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Abdul-El-Sayed-Guns.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}