On Thursday, NBC’s Late Night host, Seth Meyers, continued late night comedy’s effort to ignore the substance behind GOP attacks on Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s radical past and insist that, instead, they are just “truly vile, gutter racism.”
Meyers introduced a montage of various Republican politicians by declaring, “But as gross as the attacks on Talarico are, they somehow pale in comparison to the truly revolting attacks the GOP has been levelling at Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who was born and raised in Michigan. They've been trafficking against him some truly vile, gutter racism.”
The montage included Sen. Tim Scott claiming, “They don't just flirt with terrorism. They actually helped fund Osama bin Laden," and Sen. John Kennedy echoing the idea, “AIPAC wouldn't be — they wouldn't come here if Dr. El-Sayed didn't sleep in a bin Laden jersey.”
Seth Meyers claims GOP criticisms of Abdul El-Sayed are "truly vile, gutter racism" and "It's disgusting how nakedly racist this is." After a clip of Trump comparing Mike Rogers to apple pie, he adds "I know you're racist but are you also maybe just hungry?" pic.twitter.com/2L12BwMTDt
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) October 30, 2026
By just playing the clips with no context, Meyers’s liberal audience might not be aware of the fact that El-Sayed’s mother worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency, which was indicted for violating U.S. sanctions on Iraq and whose parent agency, the Islamic African Relief Agency, was said by the Justice Department in 2004 to have funneled money to bin Laden.
However, the clip that really upset Meyers was the last one of Sen. Ted Cruz, who mused, “If Abdul El-Sayed becomes the senator for Michigan... and if I'm correct that he is a passionate supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, there is a very real risk that Americans will die as a result.”
Meyers again omitted any talk about El-Sayed’s pre-campaign support for the Muslim Brotherhood and instead huffed, “Spoiler alert, he's not correct. In fact, if you want to know where Ted got that from, he's pulling it directly from—”
After a brief clip of President Trump saying “his ass,” Meyers rolled on, “It's disgusting how nakedly racist this is. By the way, Ted, Americans actually did die in the winter storms that happened in your state while you were strolling through the airport with your rolling suitcase looking for a Cinnabon on your way to Cancun. And Americans did die when Trump fomented a riot at The Capitol. Trump is even doubling-down on his racist attacks toward El-Sayed with a dumb new nickname for the GOP candidate for Michigan, Mike Rogers.”
Following another montage, this one of Trump claiming Rogers is “apple pie,” Meyers retorted, “You call him apple pie? I know you're racist, but are you also maybe just hungry?”
In a properly functioning world, El-Sayed’s radical past would be a late night comedian’s dream come true. Instead, we get lectures and attacks against Republicans for simply noticing that radical past.
Here is a transcript for the October29 show:
NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers
10/30/2026
12:51 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: But as gross as the attacks on Talarico are, they somehow pale in comparison to the truly revolting attacks the GOP has been levelling at Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who was born and raised in Michigan. They've been trafficking against him some truly vile, gutter racism.
DONALD TRUMP: His name is actually Abdullah—it's Abdullah bah bah bah bah Mohammed El-Sayed. So, his middle name is Mohammed. So, I was right. Almost. Oh, by the way, how about that guy? He's a jihadist.
TIM SCOTT: His family. They don't just flirt with terrorism. They actually helped fund Osama bin Laden.
JOHN KENNEDY: AIPAC wouldn't be — they wouldn't come here if Dr. El-Sayed didn't sleep in a bin Laden jersey.
TED CRUZ: If Abdul El-Sayed becomes the senator for Michigan [jump cut] and if I'm correct that he is a passionate supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, there is a very real risk that Americans will die as a result.
MEYERS: Spoiler alert, he's not correct. In fact, if you want to know where Ted got that from, he's pulling it directly from—
TRUMP: His ass.
MEYERS: It's disgusting how nakedly racist this is. By the way, Ted, Americans actually did die in the winter storms that happened in your state while you were strolling through the airport with your rolling suitcase looking for a Cinnabon on your way to Cancun. And Americans did die when Trump fomented a riot at The Capitol. Trump is even doubling-down on his racist attacks toward El-Sayed with a dumb new nickname for the GOP candidate for Michigan, Mike Rogers.
TRUMP [10/25 next to Air Force One]: Mike Rogers is apple pie.
[10/14] He's apple pie. He's all apple pie.
[10/25 on Fox News] He's apple pie.
[10/25 at a rally] I call him apple pie. He's like perfect, this guy.
MEYERS: You call him apple pie? I know you're racist, but are you also maybe just hungry?
