Abdul El-Sayed is under fire for joining forces with Obama in upcoming rally

Just two weeks after US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed faced backlash for campaigning with former Vice President Kamala Harris, the upstart candidate now faces a new wave of criticism for joining forces with former US President Barack Obama.

With less than 30 days until the midterm elections in November, Sayed announced that Obama will join him, gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and Michigan’s Democratic ticket for a rally in Detroit on 24 October. The event will kick off Michigan’s in-person early voting period, which begins 10 days before election day.

Sayed is running for a seat in Michigan, a swing state, as retiring Democrat Gary Peters steps down, against Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers.

After Sayed’s announcement on X, in which he wrote: “ It is my honor and privilege to announce that President @BarackObama is joining us on the trail in Detroit on Saturday, October 24. Get Ready.” 

It is my honor and privilege to announce that President @BarackObama is joining us on the trail in Detroit on Saturday, October 24. Get. Ready. https://t.co/lEXRlxnu7P

— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) October 5, 2026

The backlash was immediate, with many people expressing anger over Sayed's association with Obama, primarily spotlighting the drone warfare and bombings carried out by his administration across the Middle East during his two terms in office. Obama was president from 20 January 2009 to 20 January 2017. 

Columbia professor Anothy Zenkus wrote on X: “Barack Obama dropped 26,171 bombs on mostly poor black and brown people in the Middle East and Africa in 2016 alone. His own administration admitted that 90% of ppl killed with his drones were civilians. Wtf is wrong with you?”

Barack Obama dropped 26,171 bombs on mostly poor black and brown people in the Middle East and Africa in 2016 alone. His own administration admitted that 90% of ppl killed with his drones were civilians. Wtf is wrong with you?

— Prof Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) October 6, 2026

Last month, Sayed was being accused of "rehabilitating" Harris, a reference to her election loss and rejection by a broad swathe of progressive Democrats for her role in supporting Israel's genocide in Gaza, where over 74,000 Palestinians have been killed to date since 7 October 2023, following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.

Sayed now once again finds himself in a familiar place, as many have called out what they described as Obama’s complicity in the Gaza war, pointing to his administration’s strong alliance with Israel, aid, and "prepping it" for genocide against the Palestinians. 

Author Ali Abunimah wrote on X: “Baby butcher @BarackObama directly helped “Israel” slaughter 551 kids in Gaza in summer 2014. He provided “Israel” with the biggest aid package in history, arming and prepping it for this ongoing genocide which he has remained silent about”.

Baby butcher @BarackObama directly helped “Israel” slaughter 551 kids in Gaza in summer 2014. He provided “Israel” with the biggest aid package in history, arming and prepping it for this ongoing genocide which he has remained silent about. Obama launched the genocidal war on Yemen in 2015 and the CIA’s Operation Timber Sycamore in Syria. This monster had a literal Kill List, droning people all over the world. Few American leaders have as much blood on their hands. Vote @AbdulElSayed to whitewash more psychopathic war criminals!

— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) October 5, 2026

The backlash also raised questions about the sincerity of Sayed’s stance on the Gaza genocide, given his campaigning alongside figures such as Harris, whose support for Israel during the genocide, as a former vice president under the Biden administration before Trump took office his second time around, was unwavering. 

Sayed won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in Michigan in August, defeating Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who was backed by nearly $30m from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.