--- title: "Abdul El-Sayed and Pete Hegseth exchange barbs over high school sports" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-and-pete-hegseth-exchange-barbs-over-high-school-sports" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/abdul-el-sayed-and-pete-hegseth-exchange-barbs-over-high-school-sports" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-and-pete-hegseth-exchange-barbs-over-high-school-sports.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/abdul-el-sayed-and-pete-hegseth-exchange-barbs-over-high-school-sports" category: "Politics" published: "2026-11-02T02:25:13.501Z" source_reported: "2026-11-01T15:11:19.000Z" updated: "2026-11-02T02:25:13.501Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 68 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-02T04:45:14.929131+00:00" --- # Abdul El-Sayed and Pete Hegseth exchange barbs over high school sports *A political interview comment about Pete Hegseth's high school sports past sparked a response from his father.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. The central claim is attributed to a named individual, but relies on anonymous sourcing in digests. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. The story is primarily based on digests, limiting the depth of reporting and analysis. - Hype 68 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and content use loaded language like 'UGLY,' 'Bizarre,' and 'Racially-Motivated Rant.'. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Abdul El-Sayed suggested Pete Hegseth was a benchwarmer in high school sports during an interview. - Pete Hegseth's father, Brian Hegseth, responded to El-Sayed's comments, calling them "little man syndrome" and "bitter with envy." - The Gateway Pundit reported Hegseth was an all-state basketball player who played college ball. - Raw Story noted a Halloween photo posted by Hegseth's father showing Pete in a basketball jersey. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed commented on Pete Hegseth's high school athletic career during an interview with Hasan Minhaj. El-Sayed suggested Hegseth "rode the pine," meaning he spent time on the bench, and that his parents cheered him on enthusiastically. El-Sayed contrasted this with his own experience of parents who were not as supportive. Pete Hegseth's father, Brian Hegseth, responded to El-Sayed's remarks. He accused El-Sayed of having "little man syndrome" and being "bitter with envy." Raw Story reported that Brian Hegseth, a former high school basketball coach, posted a Halloween photo on X showing himself, his wife Penelope, and Pete Hegseth, who was wearing a basketball jersey. ## Disagreement on Hegseth's athletic achievements Abdul El-Sayed stated that Pete Hegseth "would've rode the pine" and "probably got to start two games his entire career playing whatever sport he was (in)." The Gateway Pundit reported that Hegseth was an all-state basketball player in Minnesota, a valedictorian, and an all-state guard. It added that he played college basketball at Princeton University, earning four varsity letters and appearing in NCAA and NIT tournaments. Raw Story mentioned Hegseth's father posting a Halloween photo with Pete wearing a basketball jersey. ## What the coverage left out None of the reports below mention the specific interview El-Sayed gave, other than that it was with Hasan Minhaj. The context of the interview, beyond the discussion of sports and parents, is not detailed in the provided material. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 13% (1) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 87% (7) 1 of 9 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-02T04:45:14.929131+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 11 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-02T05:00:19.730Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The single left-rated report, from Raw Story, focused on Pete Hegseth's father posting a Halloween photo. The digest stated that the father "thought he was taking a victory lap" and that critics responded by reminding him what Hegseth's mother wrote about their son. The photo showed Pete Hegseth wearing a Forest Lake basketball jersey and holding a basketball under a hoop. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - Six right-rated reports focused on the exchange between El-Sayed and Brian Hegseth. The Gateway Pundit reported that El-Sayed made "ugly" comments and brought up Hegseth's mother, accusing him of "riding the pine." It detailed Hegseth's high school and college basketball achievements, stating he was an all-state player and played college ball. TrendingPolitics described El-Sayed's comments as a "bizarre, racially-motivated rant." Washington Examiner and Washington Times reported Brian Hegseth's accusation that El-Sayed has "little man syndrome." Twitchy highlighted an old video of El-Sayed's own basketball skills alongside his comments about Hegseth. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 2 - mixed: 3 - high: 2 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Grabien](https://news.grabien.com/thewire/hegseths-father-el-sayed-has-little-man-syndrome) — Hegseth's father: El-Sayed has 'little man syndrome' :: GrabienNews - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/pete-hegseth-2678179175) — Pete Hegseth's abuse allegations come back to haunt him as his dad posts Halloween photo - [jfeed.com](https://jfeed.com/news-world/tntosu) — Hegseth’s Father Hits Back at El-Sayed: “Little Man Syndrome” - [TrendingPolitics](https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/video-abdul-el-sayed-goes-on-bizarre-racially-motivated-rant-against-pete-hegseth-and-his-family-cmc) — Abdul El-Sayed Goes On Bizarre, Racially-Motivated Rant Against Pete Hegseth And His Family - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4787174/pete-hegseth-father-el-sayed-little-man-syndrome) — Pete Hegseth's father says el Sayed has 'little man syndrome' - [Washington Times](https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/oct/31/hegseths-father-el-sayed-little-man-syndrome) — Hegseth's father: El-Sayed has 'little man syndrome' - [RedState](https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2026/10/31/pete-hegseths-dad-levels-el-sayed-n2208861) — Pete Hegseth's Dad Leveled El-Sayed, Then Came the Clips That Finished Him Off - [Twitchy](https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2026/10/31/oof-after-trashing-pete-hegseth-in-bizarre-rant-old-video-shows-abdul-el-sayeds-own-hoops-skillz-n2433949) — OOF! After Trashing Pete Hegseth in Bizarre Rant, Old Video Shows Abdul El-Sayed's Own Hoops Skillz - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/just-ugly-abdul-al-sayed-brings-up-pete) — JUST UGLY: Abdul Al-Sayed Brings Up Pete Hegseth’s MOTHER – Says Pete “Probably Rode the Pine” in High School… Hegseth Was All-State in High School, Played College Ball * The Gateway Pundit * by Jim Hoft ## Questions **What did Abdul El-Sayed say about Pete Hegseth?** Abdul El-Sayed suggested that Pete Hegseth was a benchwarmer during his high school sports career, stating he "would've rode the pine" and likely only started a couple of games. El-Sayed also commented on Hegseth's parents' enthusiastic support. **How did Pete Hegseth's father respond to El-Sayed?** Pete Hegseth's father, Brian Hegseth, responded by accusing Abdul El-Sayed of having "little man syndrome" and being "bitter with envy." He also defended his son's athletic background. **What did The Gateway Pundit report about Hegseth's sports career?** The Gateway Pundit reported that Pete Hegseth was an all-state basketball player in Minnesota and played college basketball at Princeton University. It stated he was an all-state guard and earned four varsity letters. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-and-pete-hegseth-exchange-barbs-over-high-school-sports. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Abdul El-Sayed and Pete Hegseth exchange barbs over high school sports", https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-and-pete-hegseth-exchange-barbs-over-high-school-sports