Abdul El-Sayed Defends Comments on Fireworks During Radio Appearance

Democratic Michigan US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed defended his previous comments regarding Fourth of July fireworks during an appearance on "The Breakfast Club" on Monday. Host Charlamagne tha God questioned El-Sayed about his past support for defunding the police and his criticism of firework celebrations on Independence Day. El-Sayed responded to the criticism, stating, "They’re coming at me on fireworks. I’m like, ‘All right, first, if your whole conception of America is that it’s fireworks, I’m so sorry. You don’t have a complete conception of America. But even then, right, like what is it?'" He elaborated, saying, "I said, ‘Well, every time we do a fireworks show, it destroys the air quality and people have asthma exacerbations and heart attacks the next day.’ That’s all I was saying. You know what I mean? I’m not saying we shouldn’t have fireworks. I’m just saying maybe like there are other ways to show your love." El-Sayed's comments come after a CNN report indicated that he deleted or hid approximately 100 YouTube videos prior to launching his Senate campaign. Among these videos was a plea for Americans to find alternative ways to celebrate the Fourth of July, citing air quality and risks to children and pets. The video reportedly included reasons why fireworks are undesirable. Republican nominee Mike Rogers criticized El-Sayed on "Hannity," stating, "This guy spent hours hating on what most Michiganders would enjoy in their pastimes, and he should be held to account for that. These are views that he held, that he was pretty strong about, but he knew that he had to delete them all… If people really knew who he was, they wouldn’t vote for him." Fox News Digital reached out to both the El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns for comment but did not receive an immediate response.