Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed responded Sunday after President Donald Trump used a side-by-side photograph of himself and first lady Melania Trump alongside an image of El-Sayed and his wife, Dr. Sarah Jukaku, in a social media post contrasting their families and political visions.
Trump posted the images Saturday on Truth Social with the caption, “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s.”
The first photograph showed Trump and Melania, while the second showed El-Sayed and Jukaku. During an appearance Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper asked El-Sayed about the president’s post.
El-Sayed agreed that the images represented two different visions of America before making a personal comment about the couples.
“Actually, Sarah and I like each other,” El-Sayed said.
He then added, “I don’t know about the first lady and the president, but, from what I have heard, it’s a bit of a rocky road.”
He tied his campaign to his hopes for the next generation, saying he and Jukaku want their daughters to have opportunities for a better future.
He also criticized the current cost of living, asking whether Americans can afford gasoline and groceries and whether parents believe their children will have better futures than they did.
El-Sayed, who holds a medical degree, and Jukaku, a psychiatrist, met while attending the University of Michigan.
They became engaged as freshmen and married in 2006. The couple has two daughters, Emmalee and Serene, and lives in Ann Arbor, the New York Post reported.
Trump and Melania have been married since 2005 and have one son, Barron.
The exchange followed El-Sayed’s narrow victory over Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Senate primary.
The Associated Press did not call the Democratic contest until Wednesday morning, after NBC News projected El-Sayed as the winner.
The Daily Mail reported that El-Sayed received 48.5 percent of the vote, compared with 47.5 percent for Stevens.
Trump has continued criticizing El-Sayed since the primary.
The president described him as a “Communist loser” and accused him of opposing Israel and Jewish people.
El-Sayed is a progressive Democrat who has campaigned for Medicare for All and removing corporate money from politics.
He has also criticized U.S. support for Israel over the war in Gaza, positions that have drawn scrutiny during his Senate campaign.
After winning the Democratic primary, El-Sayed addressed criticism of his views on Israel and Jewish Americans in his victory speech.
He thanked Jewish supporters and said his commitment to their safety was the same as his commitment to the safety of his daughters.
El-Sayed also said his campaign would represent people of every faith as well as those with no faith, according to The Independent.
He will now face Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election.
El-Sayed has said a Senate victory would give him an opportunity to help shape the Democratic Party heading into the 2028 presidential primary.
Michigan was recently selected as one of six states included in the early window of the Democratic presidential nominating calendar, potentially giving the state’s political establishment greater influence in the next presidential cycle.
If elected to the Senate, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim senator in U.S. history.
