# Tucker Carlson Breaks With Right to Defend El-Sayed's 9/11 Remarks

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/tucker-carlson-breaks-with-right-to-defend-el-sayeds-911-remarks
- Published: 2026-09-15T07:08:44.482342+00:00
- Topics: michigan-senate-race, 9/11, islam, el-sayed, tucker-carlson, election-2026

## What the left says
- El-Sayed's comments distinguished mourning American victims of 9/11 from acknowledging the far larger death toll of the subsequent U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a historically documented outcome rather than a fringe claim.
- El-Sayed's campaign says he has unequivocally denounced terrorism and that attacks on him rely on decades-old, out-of-context statements while ignoring his actual policy platform on costs of living.
- Despite a barrage of opposition research and media scrutiny, El-Sayed continues to lead or run competitively in polling, suggesting voters aren't swayed by the attacks.
- Carlson's intervention shows that skepticism of the Iraq War's human cost and U.S. foreign policy legacy isn't confined to the left, cutting across the usual partisan lines.

## What the right says
- El-Sayed's remarks calling to 'center' Muslims harmed after 9/11, rather than centering the roughly 3,000 Americans killed that day, reflect a troubling minimization of the attack itself.
- El-Sayed's long record includes protesting ex-terrorists who converted to Christianity, promoting a debunked hate-crime hoax, past comments suggesting Muslims broadly resent non-Muslim Americans, and support for Sharia law, painting a consistent pattern rather than an isolated remark.
- His close public association with Hasan Piker, who has said 'America deserved 9/11' and displayed 9/11 imagery as if a trophy, raises legitimate questions about the company he keeps and the values his coalition represents.
- Tucker Carlson's defense of El-Sayed marks a significant break from mainstream conservative and Republican consensus, and Republicans like Mike Rogers argue that any framing which asks Americans to 'center' their own grief less is disqualifying for a Senate candidate.

## Common ground
- El-Sayed did make the specific 2021 podcast and social media comments about 9/11 that are now under scrutiny, and he did attend and speak at the 2026 ISNA convention.
- Tucker Carlson publicly defended El-Sayed's remarks in his Friday newsletter and criticized Republican nominee Mike Rogers.
- El-Sayed has ties to Hasan Piker, who has made controversial statements about 9/11 and America.
- The Michigan Senate race between El-Sayed and Mike Rogers is closely contested and nationally watched.

## Sources
- [Daily Wire](https://www.dailywire.com/news/el-sayed-is-lying-about-the-bizarre-alliance-upending-michigan) (Right)
- [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/abdul-el-sayed-protested-against-ex-terrorists-who-converted-christianity-unearthed-report-reveals) (Right)
- [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/el-sayeds-liberal-agenda-clashes-muslim-voters-who-back-him-anyway-male-version-ilhan-omar) (Right)
- [HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tucker-carlson-defends-abdul-el-sayed_n_6aa71fa9e4b054da7a22eca7) (Left)
- [Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion](https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/09/tucker-carlson-sides-with-abdul-el-sayed-over-9-11-remarks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tucker-carlson-sides-with-abdul-el-sayed-over-9-11-remarks) (Unknown)
- [RealClearPolitics](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2026/09/14/el-sayed_promoted_infamous_hijab_hate_crime_hoax_710930.html) (Center)
- [The Nation](https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/abdul-el-sayed-polls-michigan-race/) (Left)
- [Washington Free Beacon](https://freebeacon.com/democrats/abdul-el-sayed-promoted-infamous-hijab-hate-crime-hoax-despite-warnings-from-police/) (Unknown)

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