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WASHINGTON — Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed gloated about his victory in an angry speech that focused more on his “perceived enemies” than on his opportunity to heal political divisions after one of the ugliest campaigns of the 2026 Midterms, according to a body language expert.
El-Sayed, who crushed Republican Mike Rogers in the hotly contested Michigan Senate race, started his victory speech on a positive note, exhibiting “exhilaration” and “pride” — before he took a nasty turn, body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass assessed.
“Abdul El-Sayed appeared elated as he celebrated his victory,” Glass, a seasoned expert witness in federal and state courts on behavioral analysis, told The Post.
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“He flashed a broad, toothy smile, with squinted eyes and raised cheeks, clasped his hands, and leaned backward while laughing repeatedly. He appeared almost literally taken aback by his win. He rubbed his hands together in a gesture of satisfaction and triumph,” the expert continued.
However, Glass noted that “by the conclusion, this had become less a speech about healing political divisions than a declaration of victory over perceived enemies.”
After thanking Michiganders for taking “a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates,” the former public health official needled President Trump for invoking his middle name and referring to him as “Muhammad,” chiding that his new simpler name will be “senator.”
“JD, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” El-Sayed, who will now become the first Muslim senator, further jabbed.
In keeping with his occasional habit on the campaign trail, El-Sayed also invoked the Arabic expression Inshallah, meaning “God willing,” and then used the phrase, “Alhamdulillah,” meaning “Praise be to God.”
El-Sayed contended that he dealt with a scourge of attacks based on his Muslim faith and the fact that he is Egyptian, acknowledging that he is “a little different.”
“As he discussed these attacks, he licked his lips, a gesture consistent with dry mouth and potentially heightened emotional arousal,” Glass added.
“His facial tension and increasingly forceful delivery suggested anger over what he believed had occurred during the campaign.”
At one point, he slammed his detractors, accusing them of trying to “confuse” voters into doubting his patriotism, insisting, “I love America” and contrasting life in the US against that in Egypt, where some of his relatives live.
“Now, as I was campaigning, some of you would come up and ask me. How come you don’t hit back? How come you don’t call them racist or hateful?” he added. “I didn’t run for myself. And in truth, they weren’t targeting me. … They were targeting and attacking you.”
“I love America,” he later added. “But I love America enough to ask her to be America for all her kids.”
El-Sayed’s victory came amid a string of wins for Democrats in a dramatic, generational wipeout for Republicans in Congress, including stunning victories in once ruby-red states like Texas, South Carolina, Kansas, and more.
Democrats appear on track to secure their largest majority in the House of Representatives since at least 2008 and are already poised for a larger majority in the Senate than Republicans currently have.
“To all the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocked someone for their name or how they pray, let them know tomorrow that the bad guys lost,” El-Sayed declared.
