Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed mocked Donald Trump‘s pronunciation of his name during a Wednesday town hall. He also predicted that White House aide Natalie Harp would share the clip with the president.
Abdul El-Sayed mocks Donald Trump’s way of pronouncing his name
Abdul El-Sayed opened his town hall remarks by addressing Donald Trump’s repeated attacks against him. He told the audience that the president cannot resist mentioning his name. “Donald Trump, because he can’t resist the red meat, can’t seem to keep my name out of his mouth,” the Democrat said. He then gave a message to Trump. “Habibi, if you can’t say the name, don’t say the name.”
The candidate then focused on Trump’s specific vocal delivery. He performed an impression that highlighted what he considers an odd inflection when the president says his name. “Why you gotta say it like that, man? It’s creepy,” El-Sayed said.
He connected the moment directly to Natalie Harp, whose presence in Trump’s orbit has recently been generating headlines. She joined Trump inside a catering truck when he secretly left a NATO summit in Turkey. Personal letters were published that revealed an unusually close dynamic between the two. “You know Natalie’s gonna show him this clip and he’s gonna be so mad,” El-Sayed said.
Staffers call Harp the “human printer” because she follows Trump with printouts of articles and social media posts throughout the day. She joined his team in 2022 after leaving One America News and now travels regularly with the president.
Moreover, the town hall moment followed Trump’s recent attack on El-Sayed. The president accused the Democrat of campaigning with a “communist fanatic who says that America deserved 9/11,” likely pointing at progressive influencer Hasan Piker. Trump also levied unfounded allegations about El-Sayed’s mother financing Osama Bin Laden.
El-Sayed answered that attack with sarcasm, including Harp, telling her that her 80-year-old boss “needs his rest.” Harp nor the administration has responded to El-Sayed’s latest comments.
