Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-08**Lead**
A video clip from 2018 showing Michigan Senator-elect Abdullah El-Sayed delivering a blistering critique of former President Barack Obama has resurfaced online, circulating widely among political operatives and social media users just days before El-Sayed is scheduled to appear alongside Obama at a joint campaign rally in Detroit. In the footage, recorded during El-Sayed’s unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial primary campaign, the progressive Democrat accuses Obama of “throwing Palestinians under the bus” and condemns what he describes as the former president’s “indefensible” record on U.S. policy in the Middle East. The resurfaced remarks come at a politically sensitive moment, as the Obama-endorsed rally aims to unify the party’s progressive and centrist wings ahead of the midterm elections.
**Context**
Abdullah El-Sayed, a physician and former director of the Detroit Health Department, first gained national attention during his 2018 campaign for governor of Michigan. Running on a platform of Medicare for All, tuition-free public college, and a “People’s Platform” that emphasized racial and economic justice, El-Sayed was part of a wave of progressive candidates inspired by Senator Bernie Sanders. During that campaign, El-Sayed did not shy away from criticizing the record of his own party’s leadership. In a speech before a student group at the University of Michigan, he stated: “Barack Obama threw Palestinians under the bus. There is no way around it. His administration’s support for the Israeli government was indefensible, and we cannot pretend otherwise just because he’s a Democrat.”
At the time, the comments generated relatively modest coverage, largely confined to progressive media outlets and campus news. El-Sayed finished fourth in the Democratic primary, which was won by Gretchen Whitmer. However, in 2024, El-Sayed ran for the Michigan Senate and won, securing a seat representing a district in Dearborn and parts of Detroit, areas with significant Arab American and Muslim populations.
Former President Obama, meanwhile, remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party and has been actively campaigning for candidates across the country in the 2026 midterm cycle. The upcoming rally in Detroit, set for October 12, is being billed as a major get-out-the-vote event and was originally intended to showcase a unified Democratic front in a key swing state. Organizers confirmed that El-Sayed would share the stage with Obama, alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer and several local elected officials.
The resurfaced video has now sparked a flurry of reactions. Progressive activists have largely stood by El-Sayed’s past comments, arguing that his critique of U.S. foreign policy was consistent and principled. “Dr. El-Sayed has always been clear about where he stands on human rights,” said a spokesperson for the Michigan Progressive Action Network. “That hasn’t changed, and we don’t expect him to apologize for speaking the truth.” On the other side, moderate Democratic strategists have expressed concern that the video could undermine the rally’s unifying message and provide fodder for Republican opposition researchers.
**Analise**
The timing of the video’s reemergence is almost certainly not accidental. Political analysts note that opposition researchers—likely linked to Republican candidates or independent expenditure groups—frequently dig up old footage of Democratic candidates and strategically release it ahead of major party events. The goal is to create internal friction, force awkward questions at press availabilities, and dominate the news cycle with intra-party conflict rather than policy messaging.
For El-Sayed, the situation presents a delicate balancing act. He cannot easily disavow his past remarks without alienating the progressive base and the Arab American and Muslim voters who were instrumental to his election victory. In the 2024 election, El-Sayed won his Senate seat with strong support from voters who prioritize Palestinian rights and are deeply critical of U.S. military aid to Israel. At the same time, appearing on stage with Obama—whose administration authorized billions in military assistance to Israel and maintained close ties to the Israeli government—could be framed by his critics as a betrayal of those same principles.
For Obama, the invitation to share the stage with a candidate who once called his record “indefensible” is a sign of the shifting dynamics inside the Democratic Party. The coalition that elected Obama in 2008 and 2012 was broadly supportive of Israel and generally deferred to establishment foreign policy positions. Today, a significant and vocal segment of the Democratic electorate, particularly younger voters and voters of color, views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a human rights lens and is increasingly critical of Israeli government actions. A Pew Research Center analysis from 2025 found that among Democrats under 30, support for the Palestinian cause outpaced support for the Israeli government by a significant margin, a reversal from previous decades.
The rally organizers have not commented on the resurfaced video. It remains unclear whether the two men will acknowledge the controversy during the joint appearance, or if they will simply focus on domestic issues like healthcare, job creation, and voting rights—topics on which they are more likely to agree. What is clear is that the video has already achieved its primary goal: injecting a note of discord into what was supposed to be a carefully scripted show of unity.
**Fontes** Video of El-Sayed’s 2018 remarks originally published by the University of Michigan student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. Reuters, July 2018 – coverage of El-Sayed’s gubernatorial campaign. The Detroit News, November 2024 – coverage of El-Sayed’s Senate election victory. The New York Times, October 2026 – announcement of Obama’s campaign schedule in Michigan. Axios, September 2025 – analysis of Democratic Party’s shift on Israel-Palestine, citing internal party polling and Pew Research Center data on generational attitudes. CNN, October 2026 – reporting on the resurfaced video and the upcoming rally.