Michigan Democrat Asks Watters if He's Circumcised
Michigan Democrat Asks Watters if He's Circumcised
The News
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, asked Fox News host Jesse Watters on air Monday whether he is circumcised — turning a prime-time fight over sex-change surgery for minors back on the host.
The exchange came after Watters pressed El-Sayed on whether he supports such surgery for people under 18.
Watters called the answer "wacky" and "sick stuff."
Timeline
El-Sayed appeared for a prime-time interview on Watters' Fox News show, an appearance he said would be a "wholesome conversation" about his platform. It ran nearly 30 minutes, with the two men repeatedly interrupting each other over immigration enforcement, taxing the rich and the Iran war.
Watters turned to medical procedures for minors. "Sex change for minors. Do you support that?" he asked. El-Sayed, a former public health official, answered: "I just think the government shouldn't tell you what kind of healthcare you should have."
Watters pushed further — "So you think it's okay for a parent to slash his kid's ding-a-ling off?" El-Sayed shot back: "Do you really want to have this conversation? Are you circumcised?"
Watters replied, "Yeah, but I mean that's a personal question, doctor," then said circumcision is "different than castration." El-Sayed answered, "I'm just saying that yes, circumcision is surgery on a kid's ding-a-ling."
Reactions
Watters dismissed the comparison on air. "Abdul, Michigan's not going for that. That is sick stuff," he said.
He closed the interview on friendlier terms, telling El-Sayed: "I respect the fact that you came on. I don't think you've really looked into some of the policies you're pushing. You seem a little naive, Abdul. I give you credit for facing the music, but some of the stuff's just straight up wacky. I don't know if that's going to fly in Michigan, but we're going to find out."
Coverage of the moment split along the usual lines. The New York Post framed it as El-Sayed asking the question "while defending sex change surgery for minors." Raw Story wrote that Watters was "cornered" and left squirming. Mediaite called the interview's turn "bizarre."
What's Next
El-Sayed faces Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former U.S. representative from Michigan who served in the Army and the FBI, in November's general election.
The Fox appearance is part of El-Sayed's campaign push onto conservative media.
More
El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary earlier this month. President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Rogers, called that result "great news for the Republican Party."
The Michigan race is one test of whether left-leaning Democrats who win primaries can carry a general election.
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