Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted videos resurface ahead of Michigan Senate race
Democratic nominee’s past comments on fireworks, the Second Amendment and football draw scrutiny after primary win
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted videos resurface ahead of Michigan Senate race
Photograph: Forbes (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, deleted or made private more than 100 YouTube videos before launching his campaign.
- CNN reported that some of the removed videos criticised Fourth of July fireworks, the Second Amendment and American football, linking the sport to slavery and toxic masculinity.
- El-Sayed’s campaign said the comments were cherry-picked and did not reflect his current views, pointing to a 2025 social-media post where he expressed support for fireworks and the Second Amendment.
- The resurfaced videos have become a focal point for Republican opponents and conservative outlets, while progressive Democrats have framed the controversy as part of a broader backlash against past rhetoric.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 17 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
58/100
Craft
95/100
Hype
55/100
17 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 2 of the 17 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, deleted or made private more than 100 YouTube videos before launching his 2026 campaign. CNN reported on 11 August 2026 that some of the removed videos included criticism of Fourth of July fireworks, the Second Amendment and American football. In one video, El-Sayed said “fireworks suck” and urged viewers to find another way to celebrate the holiday. In another, he suggested replacing the Second Amendment with a constitutional right to health care.
El-Sayed’s campaign responded by accusing CNN of cherry-picking comments from old videos that no longer reflected his views. The campaign pointed to a 2025 social-media post in which El-Sayed encouraged followers to enjoy fireworks and expressed support for the Second Amendment, while also advocating for gun control. The campaign noted that El-Sayed had been the captain of his high school football team and remained a fan of Michigan football.
The resurfaced videos have drawn attention from conservative outlets and Republican opponents. Multiple right-rated digests reported that El-Sayed had linked football to “toxic masculinity” and compared the sport’s ethos to narratives used to justify slavery. One right-rated digest, from *The Daily Signal*, reported that El-Sayed had participated in a 2007 walkout of a speaking event featuring former radical Islamic terrorists who had converted to Christianity.
What the reports disagree on
The outlets disagree on whether El-Sayed’s past comments reflect his current views. CNN reported that the videos were removed or made private, while El-Sayed’s campaign said the comments were cherry-picked and did not represent his beliefs today. *Forbes* reported that El-Sayed’s reversal was part of a broader trend among progressives, who have walked back past rhetoric during what some in the movement refer to as “Woke 1”.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mentioned El-Sayed’s 2025 social-media post expressing support for fireworks and the Second Amendment. The centre-rated *Forbes* report did not include El-Sayed’s comments linking football to toxic masculinity or his role in the 2007 walkout. Neither the left-rated nor the centre-rated reports mentioned the 2007 walkout reported by *The Daily Signal*.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 11 Aug 2026, 21:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The two left-rated digests led on the resurfaced videos and El-Sayed’s response. *Mediaite* reported that the videos criticised “iconic aspects of American life” such as fireworks, the Second Amendment and football. *CNN*’s digest focused on El-Sayed’s statement that “fireworks suck” and his suggestion to replace the Second Amendment with a right to health care. Neither digest mentioned the 2007 walkout reported by *The Daily Signal*.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report, from *Forbes*, led on El-Sayed’s claim that his past comments no longer reflected his views. The article quoted El-Sayed’s campaign accusing CNN of cherry-picking and pointed to his 2025 social-media post expressing support for fireworks and the Second Amendment. *Forbes* also framed the controversy as part of a broader trend among progressives, who have walked back past rhetoric during what some call “Woke 1”. The article did not mention the 2007 walkout or El-Sayed’s comments on football and toxic masculinity.
Right
14 rated outlets
- All 14 right-rated digests led on the resurfaced videos and El-Sayed’s past comments. *The Blaze* and *Twitchy* reported that El-Sayed had “purged” more than 100 videos expressing “fringe” or “anti-America” views. *The Daily Signal* and *Breitbart* focused on specific comments, including El-Sayed’s criticism of fireworks and the Second Amendment, and his comparison of football to slavery. *The Daily Caller* and *ussanews.com* reported that El-Sayed had linked football to “toxic masculinity”. *The Daily Signal* was the only right-rated outlet to report on El-Sayed’s role in the 2007 walkout.
Read it at the source
17 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2Centre
1Right
14- Abdul El-Sayed PURGED more than 100 YouTube videos expressing FRINGE beliefs — and they have resurfaced (opens The Blaze in a new tab)
- El-Sayed's Role in Protest Against Christian Speakers (opens The Daily Signal in a new tab)
The Daily Signal — is The Daily Signal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Michigan Dem Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed scrubbed past videos of him saying ‘fireworks suck,’ opposing 2nd Amendment (opens New York Post in a new tab)
New York Post — is New York Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Democratic US Senate Nominee Claims ‘Toxic Masculinity’ At Heart Of Football (opens The Daily Caller in a new tab)
The Daily Caller — is The Daily Caller biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Abdul El-Sayed Has a Michigan Problem – Jeffrey Lord (opens thejeffreylord.com in a new tab)
thejeffreylord.com — is thejeffreylord.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Report: El-Sayed Attacked July 4 Fireworks, 2nd Amendment in Deleted Clips (opens Breitbart in a new tab)
- El-Sayed: Let Me Tell You Why July 4 Fireworks 'S**k' (opens Hot Air in a new tab)
Hot Air — is Hot Air biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- El-Sayed has history of criticizing fireworks, football, right to bear arms (opens Washington Times in a new tab)
Washington Times — is Washington Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 6 more
- JUST IN: CNN Busts Abdul El-Sayed, Exposes Radical Now-Deleted YouTube Videos (opens TrendingPolitics in a new tab)
TrendingPolitics — is TrendingPolitics biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The Second Amendment Stance El-Sayed Doesn't Want Voters to Hear (opens Bearing Arms in a new tab)
Bearing Arms — is Bearing Arms biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Abdul El-Sayed Argued ‘Toxic Masculinity’ Governs American Football (opens ussanews.com in a new tab)
ussanews.com — is ussanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The Internet Never Forgets: El-Sayed’s Revolting Fireworks and 2A Takes (opens RedState in a new tab)
RedState — is RedState biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Bro, WTAF?! Abdul El-Sayed Scrubbed 100+ Anti-America YouTubes Before Launching Senate Bid (Thread) (opens Twitchy in a new tab)
- Abdul El-Sayed's Campaign Stumbles Over Controversial Past Comments (opens News Addicts in a new tab)
News Addicts — is News Addicts biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted videos resurface ahead of Michigan Senate race?
- Of the 17 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 12% are rated left, 6% are rated centre, 82% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted videos resurface ahead of Michigan Senate race left or right?
- The story itself is neither. What can be counted is who has covered it, and 82% of the 17 rated outlets on it are rated right — so far this is a story carried mostly by the right. Coverage is still arriving and that can change, which is why the figure is dated rather than fixed.
- Is the coverage of Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted videos resurface ahead of Michigan Senate race biased?
- Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted videos resurface ahead of Michigan Senate race is one event reported by 17 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted videos resurface ahead of Michigan Senate race?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted videos resurface ahead of Michigan Senate race?
- 17 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Abdul El-Sayed say about fireworks in his deleted videos?
- CNN reported that El-Sayed said “fireworks suck” in a 2024 YouTube video and urged viewers to find another way to celebrate the Fourth of July. He argued that fireworks hurt air quality, could trigger PTSD in veterans, and scared children and pets. His campaign later said the comments did not reflect his current views.
- How many of Abdul El-Sayed’s YouTube videos were removed or made private?
- Multiple outlet digests reported that more than 100 of El-Sayed’s YouTube videos were removed or made private before his 2026 Senate campaign. CNN’s investigation found that some of the deleted videos included criticism of fireworks, the Second Amendment and American football.
- What did Abdul El-Sayed say about the Second Amendment?
- CNN reported that El-Sayed suggested replacing the Second Amendment with a constitutional right to health care in a 2023 YouTube video. His campaign later said the comment did not reflect his current views and pointed to a 2025 social-media post where he expressed support for the Second Amendment while advocating for gun control.
- Which outlets reported on Abdul El-Sayed’s past comments about football?
- Right-rated digests from *The Daily Caller*, *ussanews.com*, *Breitbart* and *The Washington Times* reported that El-Sayed had linked football to “toxic masculinity” and compared the sport’s ethos to narratives used to justify slavery. The centre-rated *Forbes* report did not mention these comments.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
