Nicki Minaj Says Abdul El-Sayed Is Projecting Anger at His Parents Onto White People Days Before the Michigan Senate Vote

Nicki Minaj says Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is taking anger at his own parents out on white people, and she told him to fix that before running for office.

Nicki posted her take on X Saturday after Australian activist Drew Pavlou shared a clip of El-Sayed from a podcast interview. Pavlou’s caption said El-Sayed was ranting about how white kids had it better than him growing up.

“If you listen carefully it’s a misplaced anger at his own parents for not making him feel worthy that turned into raging jealousy of other children who had parents that lifted them up and poured into them,” Nicki wrote. “He’s projected all of that onto white people. He needs to mend his heart before thinking about running for any office. White ppl haven’t hurt him. He knows exactly who did.”

The clip comes from Abdul El-Sayed’s interview with comedian Hasan Minhaj, released October 28. El-Sayed was talking about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He said Hegseth “would have rode the pine” in high school, which is sports slang for sitting on the bench, and that Hegseth’s parents cheered hard for him anyway. El-Sayed said his own parents never came to his games, even though he started every one. “Somebody told you you were a lot better than you really are,” he said of Hegseth. “Like, there’s something about being a brown kid whose parents, like, you know, no matter what you do, you’re never enough.”

El-Sayed said that pressure taught him never to take himself too seriously. In the clip, he compares himself to Hegseth and to kids whose parents showed up and cheered for them. He does not say “white kids.” That framing came from Pavlou’s caption.

Minhaj did not engage with that part. He answered, “Yeah… can I talk to you about strategy though?” Nicki pointed to that moment as a lesson. “Notice how he doesn’t get the satisfaction he was craving when the interviewer simply anchors himself & doesn’t validate that experience,” she wrote. “We should all do more of this. Don’t validate anyone’s experience for the sake of temporary bonding.”

Elon Musk replied to Nicki’s post with “Well said.” On the original clip, Musk wrote, “He hates White people.” Hegseth’s father, Brian Hegseth, also pushed back on El-Sayed’s claim that his son rode the bench.

Michigan votes Tuesday in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee, faces Republican Mike Rogers. El-Sayed is a doctor whose father immigrated from Egypt, and if he wins, he would be the first Muslim ever elected to the US Senate.

Nicki has become one of the most visible celebrity faces of the Republican push in Michigan. Last weekend she joined Trump on stage at his rally in Port Huron, where she campaigned for Rogers. Earlier this week, El-Sayed took a swipe at Trump over the comments Trump made about Nicki’s body at that rally.

Abdul El-Sayed has not publicly responded to Nicki’s post.

Dee Dee Henderson

Dee Dee Henderson is a Poli Alert journalist covering national politics, elections and the policies that hit closest to home for Black communities, from voting rights and the economy to the courts. She reports the facts first and isn't afraid to say what they mean, and her commentary pieces are clearly labeled as opinion. Her midterm coverage breaks down deadlines, ballot measures and the races that will decide who holds power in Washington.

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