Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism after making racially charged remarks while mocking War Secretary Pete Hegseth and his upbringing.
El-Sayed delivered the comments during an appearance on comedian Hasan Minhaj’s podcast while discussing athletics, parenting and differences between white and “brown” families.
While appearing on the Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know podcast, El-Sayed described Hegseth as a familiar high school type who “would have rode the pine.” This was framed in terms of high school athletics. “He probably got to start two games his entire career playing whatever sport it was and it made his life and his parents came and cheered so hard for him. And as a kid whose parents never came right and started every game, part of me is just like, bro, I feel bad for you,” the Democrat nominee said.
“Somebody told you you’re a lot better than you really are. Like there’s something about being a brown kid whose parents like, you know, no matter what you do, you’re never enough.”
El-Sayed then elaborated on the parental support he attributed to Hegseth. “So you’re just like, oh, but for him, the very fact that he made the team, his mom was making cake. She was wearing his jersey. She had a cap made for him… You know the type. So I’m like, bro, you grew up thinking that you were somehow special, but you are not,” he continued.
El-Sayed went on this bizarre rant against Pete Hegseth — claiming that Hegseth "rode the pine" in "whatever sport he played" in high school.
He invoked Hegseth’s mother (moms are fair game now, huh?), and claimed she was "the type" who would have worn her son’s jersey to games.
*Hegseth was an all-state point guard in high school in Minnesota, set various school records. He played college ball and got some floor time in the 2001 NCAA tournament. El-Sayed played club lacrosse at Michigan.*
Here’s El-Sayed’s animosity-filled diatribe against Hegseth:
"You know he would have rode the pine. He probably got to start 2 games his entire career, playing whatever sport it was."
"His parents came and cheered so hard for him."
"Bro, I feel bad for you. Somebody told you you’re a lot better than you really are."
"There’s something about being a brown kid whose parents…no matter what you do you’re never enough."
"For him, the very fact that he made the team: his mom was making cake, she was wearing his jersey, she had a cap made for him. You know the type."
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) October 30, 2026
The remarks quickly circulated online, where critics accused El-Sayed of expressing resentment toward white families and ridiculing parents for supporting their children. El-Sayed’s comments also rested on an inaccurate portrayal of Hegseth’s actual athletic career.
Hegseth was an accomplished basketball player at Forest Lake Area High School in Minnesota and earned all-conference and all-state recognition. He captained his high school basketball team, helped lead it to Minnesota’s state tournament and later played basketball at Princeton University.
Hegseth’s father, Brian Hegseth, responded publicly Friday and rejected El-Sayed’s description of his son’s athletic career. “Abdul has no idea what he’s talking about,” Brian Hegseth wrote while describing his son as a high school basketball standout.
Brian Hegseth acknowledged that he and his wife enthusiastically supported their son but argued that such behavior was simply what families should do. The elder Hegseth also accused El-Sayed of envy and mocked the Democratic nominee with the phrase “little man syndrome.”
Rapper Nicki Minaj joined the criticism Saturday after viewing a clip of El-Sayed’s podcast comments. Minaj argued that El-Sayed appeared angry about his own childhood and had improperly projected that resentment onto white people. Elon Musk subsequently amplified Minaj’s criticism, responding “Well said” to her social-media post about the Michigan candidate.
The episode arrives during the closing days of El-Sayed’s closely watched Senate contest against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers. El-Sayed has previously drawn attention for comments about race, policing and white supremacy that have resurfaced during the campaign.
