Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) hit back at Democrat Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed over his recent remarks that the pro-Israel senator is an “ogre” who needs to be made an example of.
The bomb-throwing Muslim candidate is engaged in a heated primary battle with Rep. Haley Stevens, with the winner advancing to November’s general election, and took aim at the hulking Fetterman during a recent Zoom call that was obtained by Politico, which published the viral remarks.
New @playbookdc: “You put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different,” Abdul El-Sayed said on a recent leaked fundraising call, already plotting ‘28 powerbroker status and a Fetterman primary. pic.twitter.com/FrIQugqSxF
— Adam Wren (@adamwren) July 27, 2026
“If I win … well y’all came at me so now I get to come at you, and you know, primarying people like John Fetterman, I have no problem to do that,” El-Sayed said during the call.
“Ideally you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different,” added the candidate of his potential future Senate colleague.
Asked for comment on the unflattering insult, Fetterman shot back, likening El-Sayed to disgraced former Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race after he was accused of sexual assault.
“I pick being Senator Shrek over being the Pontiac Platner any day,” the hoodie-clad galoot said in a statement.
JUST IN: Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) on Abdul El-Sayed: “I pick being Senator Shrek over being the Pontiac Platner any day” (NBC) pic.twitter.com/E9iaqDyUtT
— Kalshi Politics (@KalshiPolitics) July 27, 2026
“Violent, vulgar threats have no place in a democratic electoral contest,” said Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) in response to the “ogre” remark. “With political violence on the rise, we need to be doing everything we can to lower the temperature — not raise it. It’s the American people who suffer most when we degrade the political process this way.”
But El-Sayed isn’t walking back his colorful comments. In fact, he doubled down.
Abdul El-Sayed doubles down on calling John Fetterman an “ogre.”
MODERATOR: “Just earlier this week, we heard that there was some kind of a zoom call in which you referenced an opponent as ‘ogre on a pike…’”
EL-SAYED: “I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman.” pic.twitter.com/NCK0pZmrVv
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 27, 2026
When confronted about the “ogre” slam by Detroit’s Fox 2 News, the candidate defended his words and accused the Democrat senator – now a fixture on Fox News – of betraying his own voters.
“Do you regret any of the comments that you’ve made?” El-Sayed was asked by the outlet’s Roop Raj.
“I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who’s a senator from Pennsylvania who has done terrible things,” El-Sayed responded, “got elected on a set of values and is now completely throwing those values in the mud.”
“Abdul was clearly speaking metaphorically about the fact that he fully intends to support a primary against John Fetterman, who despite being elected to support the values Abdul fights for has sold out his voters and votes with Trump more than any other Democrat,” a spokesperson for El-Sayed said in response to the controversy, according to NBC News.
