'God forbid': Vance invokes 'President El-Sayed' hours after Michigan primary win
WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance invoked the prospect of a "President El-Sayed" just hours after Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan Democratic Senate primary win, arguing Congress must move quickly to make key Trump administration policies permanent.
The remark underscored Vance's call for lawmakers to codify the administration's anti-fraud agenda, saying legislative action was needed to prevent a future Democratic president from undoing what he described as President Donald Trump's achievements.
JD Vance warns against 'President' Abdul El-Sayed
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, August 5, during a press conference on the administration's fraud crackdown, Vance said executive actions alone were not enough to preserve the administration's work.
"We don't want the next administration, whoever, you know, God forbid you're going to have President El-Sayed in three years, we don't want him to undo all the incredible work that we've been doing when we're taking out the fraudsters and saving the American people money," Vance said.
"God forbid you're going to have President El-Sayed in three years, we don't want him to undo all the incredible work that we've been doing."
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 5, 2026
Vice President JD Vance says the Trump administration wants Congress to codify its anti-fraud efforts into law so their efforts can't… pic.twitter.com/onbdPVqONl
He added that lasting change would require congressional action.
"And in order to make this really work, we need our colleagues in Congress to really codify some of this stuff, to make sure that it becomes law," he said.
Vance, who has been widely rumored as a potential 2028 presidential contender, made the comments while highlighting the administration's anti-fraud efforts.
Vice president seeks bipartisan support on anti-fraud push
The vice president argued that the initiative had already attracted cooperation beyond the Republican Party and said he hoped Congress would build on that work.
"This is the sort of thing where, while I see only Republicans surrounding us today, we really have been able to work in some cases with Democratic governors and Democratic attorneys generals on the anti-fraud task force," Vance said.
He added, "We would love, I'm not necessarily holding my breath, but we would want to work with Democrats in Washington to codify the anti-fraud actions that we've taken and to take it to the next level."
VANCE CALLS OUT ABSENCE: Vice President JD Vance said no Democrats attended his anti-fraud meeting, telling reporters, "I see only Republicans surrounding us today," and adding that Republicans "would love to work with Democrats in Washington to codify anti-fraud actions." pic.twitter.com/0UfjXt2Gje
— The Dallas Express News (@DallasExpress) August 5, 2026
His comments came only hours after El-Sayed defeated Rep Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, a result that prompted an immediate response from President Trump.
Trump calls Abdul El-Sayed's win good for Republicans
Trump portrayed El-Sayed's nomination as politically beneficial for Republicans while launching sharp attacks against the Democratic candidate.
"Great news for the Republican Party," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in his race with the Socialist."
The president also claimed, without providing evidence, that Michigan's election could be manipulated.
"The Communist, who is not liked in Detroit, is potentially in 'Vote Counter' trouble," Trump wrote. "The Radical Left Socialist has a real shot, and don't discount all of those fake mail-in ballots that will 'surprisingly' show up at the last moment. Get ready for another Rigged Election."
