Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed shot back after Vice President JD Vance’s joke about the left-wing candidate’s “patchy beard” on Friday, questioning whether Vance’s own beard is real.
Vance and el Sayed have sparred back and forth in the media for several weeks, as the Ohio State University graduate and University of Michigan graduate disagree on more than just politics and college football. After Vance made a TikTok video in jest saying he was going to arrest el Sayed after joking that the state of Michigan “outlawed patchy beards,” el Sayed fired back on Friday, taking aim at Vance’s own facial hair.
“The best they got is … JD Vance on, amped up on [testosterone replacement therapy] with like a beard that, you know, I don’t know, frankly, somebody should tell me if it’s real,” el Sayed told TMZ DC.
“If I actually met him, I’d be like, ‘All right, let’s just actually see how much paste did you have to put on your face to get that little weak beard,’” el Sayed said. “At least mine, what you see is what you get.”
El Sayed also challenged the vice president to a weightlifting competition, saying, “I’m happy to invite him to any weight room in any place,” while baiting Vance over mishandling Ohio State’s college football championship trophy at the White House.
El Sayed and Vance have traded jabs throughout the 2026 election season as el Sayed takes on Republican candidate, former Rep. Mike Rogers, in the Michigan Senate race.
El Sayed has taken swipes at Vance’s family, seemingly questioning whether Vance would have introduced second lady Usha Vance to Vance’s grandfather if he were still alive when they began dating. Vance called el Sayed’s statement “weird” and told him, “Keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth.”
EL SAYED SWINGS BACK AT VANCE AFTER HE CALLED HIM ‘VERY, VERY EVIL’
Vance also said there was something “very, very evil” about el Sayed at a rally, to which el Sayed said some of Vance’s policy positions were “evil.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Vance’s office regarding el Sayed’s latest comments.