Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee for Michigan, faced criticism from various political factions after equating circumcision with child sex changes. This occurred during his appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime on Monday night.
Jesse Watters, the show host, posed a provocative question to El-Sayed: “So you think it’s okay for a parent to slash his kid’s ding-a-ling off?” El-Sayed countered by asking, “Are you circumcised?” Watters replied, “Circumcision’s different than castration.”
El-Sayed argued that the issue lies with people deciding for others about parental, doctor, and patient matters. He emphasized that circumcision involves surgery on a child’s genitalia.
His remarks met with skepticism, even from left-wing individuals. Ryan Grim, co-founder of DropSite News, criticized El-Sayed’s comparison, stating, “This talking point isn’t it.”
Others, like New York civil rights attorney Andrew Laufer, expressed unexpected agreement with Watters. El-Sayed’s remarks received further backlash from Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet, who questioned the similarity between circumcision and castration.
Conservative pundit Benny Johnson and Clay Travis of OutKick also condemned the comparison. Meanwhile, Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross joked about El-Sayed querying a host’s genitalia during a public interview.
A more earnest critique came from Do No Harm’s senior policy director, who argued that surgeries aimed at sex reassignment are in no way akin to circumcision.
Melissa Chen, a journalist and activist, suggested that El-Sayed understands the difference but is constrained by his political base. She noted his inability to openly oppose gender-affirming care for minors without angering trans activists.
Circumcision, typically performed on infants, has been scrutinized for issues concerning consent, necessity, and associated risks.
The El-Sayed campaign did not comment on these controversies when contacted by Fox News Digital for a response.