Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, addressed criticism over his comments on Fourth of July fireworks during a radio interview on “The Breakfast Club.” Host Charlamagne tha God questioned El-Sayed about his stance on defunding the police and his critique of firework displays associated with Independence Day.
El-Sayed responded by expressing his perspective on America and the significance of fireworks. He stated, “They’re coming at me on fireworks. 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?'”
He elaborated on the environmental and health implications of fireworks. “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. 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.”
El-Sayed’s comments follow a report indicating that he deleted or concealed around 100 YouTube videos prior to launching his Senate campaign. Among the videos was a request for Americans to explore alternative ways to celebrate the Fourth of July besides fireworks, citing concerns about air quality and risks to children and pets.
Apparently, El-Sayed featured in a video explaining “why fireworks suck,” detailing reasons against their use. During an appearance on “Hannity”, Republican nominee Mike Rogers challenged El-Sayed for these deleted posts and remarks.
Rogers commented, “This guy spent hours hating on what most Michiganders would enjoy in their pastimes, and he should be held to account for that. These are views that he held, that he was pretty strong about, but he knew that he had to delete them all… If people really knew who he was, they wouldn’t vote for him.”
Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to the El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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