Abdul El-Sayed explains why he’s campaigning with Obama despite past criticism

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed says former President Barack Obama helped inspire his political career, even though he previously criticized Obama’s presidency.

Abdul El-Sayed is defending his decision to campaign alongside former President Barack Obama despite previously criticizing several of his administration’s policies.

The Michigan political figure is scheduled to appear with Obama at a campaign event in Detroit on Oct. 24. The upcoming appearance has drawn renewed attention to El-Sayed’s past remarks about Obama’s record on issues including immigration, healthcare, civil liberties and foreign policy.

According to CNN’s KFile, El-Sayed previously criticized the Obama administration’s handling of deportations, military conflicts and economic policy.

In an Instagram video shared by The TN Holler, El-Sayed pushed back against the suggestion that appearing alongside Obama conflicts with his earlier criticism.

“Do you love your dad? Do you agree with everything your dad has ever done? Obama was foundational to my ability to run for office,” El-Sayed said.

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A post shared by The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler)

Ben Rhodes, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, also defended the alliance in a post shared in the screenshot accompanying the clip.

“As someone who is close to Obama, this is not a gotcha,” Rhodes wrote. He described progressive politics as a process in which people are inspired by political leaders, become frustrated with the pace of change, and then take up the work themselves. He added that this was why Obama was campaigning for El-Sayed.