Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is drawing backlash after calling claims linking Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood “racist.” While campaigning for El-Sayed in Michigan, the New York Democrat told TMZ the allegations “fall into racist very clearly” and criticized the use of his family history in the race. Online users pushed back on the post, arguing the Muslim Brotherhood is an ideology rather than a race and pointing to earlier social media posts by El-Sayed’s half-sister.
The footage shows AOC responding when asked where claims linking El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood fall “on the scale between real and racist.” She says, “I think it falls into racist very clearly,” and describes the issue as “a very vulnerable thing” because El-Sayed’s parents separated shortly after his birth and he was raised by his father.
She adds that “people are throwing really painful and insulting and racist stuff around” that also affects “a little boy in Detroit that grew up without his mom,” and that “none of this has to do with” him. AOC further states that El-Sayed is “one of the most patriotic people I’ve ever met.”
According to the post and related reporting, the claims stem from older social media posts by El-Sayed’s half-sister referring to their mother’s past involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. El-Sayed has denied any personal or family ties to the group. The video does not show additional context from the campaign event or any direct response from El-Sayed.
How Viewers Are Responding to AOC’s Comments
Several commenters challenged the “racist” framing. One wrote, “Hey @AOC, how is it racist? Muslim Brotherhood is an ideology-based group, not a race. GET YOUR SLURS STRAIGHT.”
Another asked, “What race is Muslim? This makes no sense.” A third said, “Racist? His own sister said he was connected to them.”
Others focused on AOC’s remarks and role. Comments included “AOC is a clueless *expletive*, that’s much worse than Kamala,” “Word salad AOC. She might as well be drunk while giving a Kamala Speech,” and “Who gives a *expletive* what a person from New York thinks about Michigan politics?”
A smaller number of posts took a different view. One user posted, “So *expletive* good,” while another wrote, “Of course, a few racist, bigoted people whose allegiance to Israel wouldn’t buy it,” in reference to skepticism of AOC’s description of El-Sayed as patriotic.
The clip has become part of the ongoing discussion around El-Sayed’s Michigan Senate campaign and the questions raised about his family’s past. Online reactions continue to focus on whether the “racist” label fits the underlying claims.
