Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed told MSNBC’s Katy Tur, in response to President Trump referring to him as a “jihadist,” tat the only “jihad” he is part of is against medical debt. El-Sayed, a medical doctor, would be the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.

KATY TUR: You have Jewish voters in Michigan – I’ll say Dana Nessel is one of them – who are worried about your association with Hasan Piker. Why keep him so close, or why not fully disassociate yourself with him? ABDUL EL-SAYED: One, I endorsed the vice president on the day after she became the nominee. I did not agree with the administration’s position on Gaza, but I understood that Donald Trump would be worse. So I am calling on leaders from all of the communities under the Democratic umbrella to recognize that Mike Rogers is an existential threat to everything we believe in when it comes to our democracy. Two, this campaign is not about a streamer in California. This campaign is about affordability in Michigan. This campaign is about the ability to have health care- KATY TUR: He does campaign with a lot of Democrats, so he’s not just a streamer. ABDUL EL-SAYED: This campaign is about the challenges Michiganders face. And I get that in the media, it’s a lot easier to pick up one person and be like, “This is what this is about.” But this is why a lot of people get so frustrated about politics and political media, because it doesn’t actually speak to the challenges they face. KATY TUR: Look, I didn’t- ABDUL EL-SAYED: It’s not just the media- KATY TUR: And I reject that framing. Six in 10 Americans don’t know who he is. I’m not saying he’s the most important person in the world, but when you have a state like Michigan, where, again, Elissa Slotkin only won by 22,000 votes- ABDUL EL-SAYED: But, Katy- KATY TUR: -is it worth potentially losing the few votes you need to win? ABDUL EL-SAYED: Ten in 10 Americans agree that they can’t afford the things that they need in their lives. So if folks want to make this about a streamer in California, they’re welcome to do that. But I’m focused on Donald Trump. I’m focused on addressing the affordability crisis. I’m focused on getting you health care, and that’s what I’m going to stay focused on. KATY TUR: Let’s talk about the president of the United States. He has called you a jihadist. Republicans are saying you have no business in the Senate. If you are elected, you will be the first Muslim senator. They’re going after your faith. I would just love to hear from you what your faith means to you and how you think it has to do with your politics. ABDUL EL-SAYED: You know, if there’s any jihad, it’s going to be the one against medical debt. So I implore Donald Trump: If you’re interested in taking on medical debt, come join me. Taking on money in politics, come join me. But at the end of the day, the average American is not as worried about how I pray. They’re worried about what I pray for, what we all hope for. When you look your kid in the eye, you want to know that they’re going to have a better life than the one that you had. And right now, I think when most of us look our kids in the eye, we’re worried about what their future looks like. Faith is important to me, but it’s also private to me. I want to be able to live in an America where nobody tells me how or under what circumstances I can pray, and I have no interest in telling anyone else how to do the same. KATY TUR: So it has nothing to do with your politics? ABDUL EL-SAYED: But what I’ll tell you is there are ideals about this country that I think we all hold dear. And I think that’s the thing that unites us beyond our differences, right? That idea that we can say, you know what, we believe in something that’s bigger than us. And as a person of faith, I believe in that. But it’s also why I believe in the power of our Constitution and the power of this country to create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. KATY TUR: She said there’s a lot of [unclear] anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric coming out of that campaign. It has to be addressed more directly. It has to be addressed, otherwise people will continue to write more letters. What are you going to say to them? ABDUL EL-SAYED: To be anti-Israel is not the same as to be anti-Jewish, and to oppose what Israel has done is not an indictment on Jewish people. I think we have a responsibility to stand up and remind folks that Judaism and the Jewish people are a light unto the world, that my commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to my own daughter’s safety. I know what it’s like to be discriminated against for how I pray. But I do reject the idea that somehow criticizing Israel and Israel’s actions and a genocide that was perpetrated by our tax dollars is the same as the idea of rejecting anybody for their faith or their identity. We have to be able to separate the two.

RealClearPolitics Videos