Fox News’ “Ruthless” podcast says resurfaced social posts place Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El‑Sayed at Democratic Socialists of America–linked events while he has said he is not a DSA member. The episode landed as a Fox News poll showed El‑Sayed at 50% and Republican Mike Rogers at 49%.
What the podcast showed
According to Fox News’ write‑up of the episode, the hosts displayed tweets showing El‑Sayed at DSA events alongside figures including Linda Sarsour and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and backing causes such as the Green New Deal. Co‑host Josh Holmes pointed to a 2019 tweet highlighting an event co‑sponsored by the DSA and the Sunrise Movement, saying it billed itself as “the climate crisis is a crisis of capitalism.” Holmes added, “It’s interesting for a guy who [claims to] not be a socialist, [and that] he’s a capitalist, to be a featured speaker at an event that labels itself” that way.
The Fox News piece states that the tweets shown by the hosts contrast with recent claims from El‑Sayed that he was not a DSA member.
Co‑host Comfortably Smug characterized the pattern as a bait‑and‑switch, saying, “It’s almost like they understand what a Trojan horse is … you get elected, and then you do the Looney Tunes s—.” That is his opinion.
Poll context
Fox News reported its poll had El‑Sayed leading Rogers 50%–49%.
Deleted posts in Michigan’s 7th District
The “Ruthless” hosts also discussed another Michigan race. Fox News, citing CNN, reported that Democrat William Lawrence deleted hundreds of social media posts, including a tweet saying “f— … the nuclear family,” plus calls to abolish the Senate and defund the police. “I think that this is so much of what the left has become,” Comfortably Smug said of the uncovered tweets. Lawrence faces Republican incumbent Tom Barrett in November, per Fox News.
What we don’t have
Fox News said the episode also covered Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. The supplied text did not include those details.
Note: This piece summarizes claims, quotes, and poll figures as reported by Fox News about the “Ruthless” podcast and CNN’s reporting on deleted posts. We have not independently reviewed the underlying tweets or events.
