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First Muslim senator in US history made bold prediction on social media months before historic victory
The first Muslim senator in US history made a bold prediction about his election victory months before Americans headed to the polls.
Abdul El-Sayed made history on Tuesday (November 3) after defeating Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's closely contested Senate race.
The democrat's win came after a divisive campaign in which he faced attacks on his Muslim faith and was criticised for his opposition to US military intervention in the Middle East and the administration's support for Israel.
Abdul El-Sayed's bold prediction resurfaces after Senate victory
On May 4, El-Sayed took to X to make a prediction about his chances of defeating Rogers, who had received President Donald Trump's endorsement.
"Gimme three months and his golf buddies in Florida wouldn’t even vote for him. I’ll smoke him by 7. Bet on it," he wrote at the time.
His prediction proved accurate when the election results began rolling in, as at one point during the vote count, he had secured 52.5% of the vote compared with Rogers' 45.5%, giving him a lead of exactly seven percentage points.
"Dude really called his shot," one stunned user reacted, while another said: "Masterclass. That’s what we class this." A third added: "bro, this is earth shaking."
Trump and JD Vance criticized El-Sayed during campaign
El-Sayed's victory was particularly noteworthy given the horrific attacks he faced from Trump and Vice President JD Vance throughout the election campaign.
Trump repeatedly targeted the senator-elect, who is a public health administrator, by mocking his name and questioning his political positions.
The 80-year-old called El-Sayed a "jihadist," while Vance described him as a "psychopath".
But despite these disparaging comments, El-Sayed secured enough support to defeat Rogers and become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
He delivered a message at the Michigan Democrats' headquarters in Detroit early Wednesday (November 4), noting that Vance would soon be expected to administer his oath of office.
"JD, habibi [Arabic term of endearment], it is an irony - you are constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January," he said. "Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, you can call me 'senator.' May we never have to see the likes of you in Michigan again."
El-Sayed celebrates historic win with emotional speech
The Democrat also thanked the Michigan voters who supported his campaign.
"You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates," he told the crowd in his election night speech. "You welcomed me in your homes, your churches, your synagogues."
He credited the grassroots movement built over a year and a half of campaigning in Michigan’s biggest cities and smallest towns.
He argued that his opponents had chosen to attack him personally rather than address everyday concerns such as rising grocery and gasoline prices.
"They want an America that is too small for some of us," El-Sayed said. "We know that America is big enough for all of us."