Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who has made it clear over recent years that he cares far more about principles and policies that help Americans than he does about party loyalty, recently weighed in on Michigan Democratic nominee for Senate Abdul El-Sayed, roasting him on both sides by saying he has a chronic case of “little man syndrome.”
While sitting down for an interview with Jewish Insider, Fetterman talked about El-Sayed and his feud with Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), whom he beat in a very tight primary race earlier this year. Stevens’ fiance has said that he will not be supporting El-Sayed, while Stevens herself ripped into the controversial candidate due to having too many affiliations with Islamists and/or antisemitic groups.
“Rep. Haley Stevens simply held Abdul El-Sayed accountable for his views on Israel and fixation with Jewish money. El-Sayed is going after a woman and banning her from campaign events for having an opinion. El-Sayed’s overreaction demonstrates why he struggles with groups of Michigan voters,” Fetterman said during his conversation with the outlet. “He has the worst case of little man syndrome I’ve ever seen.”
According to a report from Trending Politics News, Fetterman, who stands at an impressive 6 feet 8 inches, has previously described El-Sayed as showing symptoms of “little man syndrome energy,” after the Michigan Democrat referred to him as an “ogre” who “belonged on a pike” before referring to him in other negative terms during the primary race.
Supporting Fetterman’s claim that El-Sayed has “little man syndrome,” the Michigan Senate candidate has repeatedly made strange comments expressing a desire to challenge his political opponents to physical contests, often making references to high school athletics in the process. “If you’re coming to kick down what we’re building, I’ll fight you. Like, I’m not afraid. So I was also the kid in AP classes getting suspended for fighting,” El-Sayed said in an interview with The Bulwark.
He has also handed out invitations like that to other elected officials. Vice President JD Vance once mocked El-Sayed for his “patchy beard” in a TikTok video, which resulted in the Michigan Democrat responding by questioning if Vance’s beard was real before going on to accuse him of being “juiced up on TRT.” He then promptly challenged the vice president to a weight-room contest.
“If he thinks that my beard is somehow indicative of my strength, I’m happy to invite him to any weight room in any place. We could do it in D.C., and let’s see. I’d love to see him on a bench. I’d love to see him on a squat,” El-Sayed said. If that’s not childish enough, he’s also challenged his GOP opponent Mike Rogers to a tackle football game — without pads — before going on to make insulting remarks about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his athletic background, claiming that he “would have rode the pine” and said that supportive parents inflated his ego as a child.
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