And we thought Michelle was the sellout.
By endorsing Abdul El-Sayed at a Detroit rally on Saturday, Barack Obama has crossed a line that few expected him to approach.
The former Democratic kingmaker now appears to be losing influence within his own party—an episode that reflects the broader disorder consuming the Democrats.
Much of the mainstream media’s attention remains fixed on Donald Trump and MAGA, portraying them as being on the defensive.
Far less coverage has focused on the turmoil on the left, from Representative Ilhan Omar and streamer Hasan Piker to former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who is reportedly considering another White House bid in 2028 despite resistance from members of her own party.
For now, El-Sayed—and Obama’s decision to support him—is the source of the fiercest Democratic infighting.
Several Democratic power brokers have told Our News Outlet that they would prefer Republican Mike Rogers to defeat El-Sayed, even if that outcome leaves Democrats short of Senate control.
One source told veteran political journalist and Our News Outlet contributor Mark Halperin: ‘I don’t think Democrats are considering the profound consequences of an El-Sayed win to how the party looks and competes in the 2028 presidential primary.’
Barack Obama endorsed Abdul El-Sayed at a Detroit rally on Saturday, a move that has intensified divisions inside the Democratic Party
Consider the possible 2028 field: El-Sayed against California Governor Gavin Newsom, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Harris.
It is a lineup that invites either laughter, tears—or perhaps both.
Obama recently criticized Black male voters who declined to support Harris in 2024, suggesting that misogyny played a role. Now, critics argue, he is implying that Democrats who hesitate to back El-Sayed are motivated by religious prejudice.
That criticism comes despite allegations from El-Sayed’s sister that his mother and members of his extended family were involved with the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization designated as terrorist by some governments. El-Sayed has rejected such characterizations.
Then there is a pro-El-Sayed advertisement in which a couple shops for groceries. When the woman asks her partner to return a carton of eggs, he wonders whether their children no longer like them.
‘No, they like eggs,’ she says. ‘But we have to set that $7 aside for killing Palestinians.’
El-Sayed’s campaign sought to distance itself from the spot on Monday, saying it had been produced by the left-wing Rebellion PAC.
That is a familiar campaign tactic: reject a controversial advertisement and place responsibility on an outside political committee.
The complication is that Cenk Uygur shared the advertisement on X. Uygur’s nephew and political associate is Hasan Piker.
Piker also campaigned with El-Sayed shortly before El-Sayed won the Democratic primary.
Piker has previously faced backlash for saying that ‘America deserved 9/11,’ a remark El-Sayed also disavowed during an appearance on Meet the Press last August.
‘Of course it was a dumb statement,’ El-Sayed told host Kristen Welker, while declining to sever ties with Piker. El-Sayed has previously described Piker’s full acceptance by Democrats as ‘critical.’
Piker later joined Representative Ilhan Omar for a conversation at a sold-out rally in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Hasan Piker joined Representative Ilhan Omar for a conversation at a sold-out Minneapolis rally on Tuesday
Omar is facing federal scrutiny over alleged financial misconduct and immigration-related fraud, including a long-standing allegation that she married her brother. No charges have been filed, and Omar has denied the claims.
Meanwhile, federal and state authorities are investigating an alleged fraud network in which billions of dollars in government aid may have been diverted to sham charities serving the Somali American community in Democrat-led Minneapolis.
The alleged scheme is so extensive that it could influence Minnesota’s Senate race, potentially helping Republicans capture a seat in what otherwise could be a difficult election cycle for the party.
At Tuesday’s event, Omar joked that her looks and charisma had proved too formidable for Republicans. Piker, meanwhile, blamed white racism and ‘jealousy’ for the scrutiny directed at Minneapolis.
‘White supremacist forces in this country have decided to target Minneapolis because of the successful Somali American community that has been able to thrive here,’ he said.
The argument is that a country celebrated for absorbing immigrants from different backgrounds is now targeting an immigrant community because it has succeeded.
The Minneapolis controversy also recalls Governor Tim Walz, whose selection as Harris’s running mate in 2024 became a liability for the Democratic ticket.
Walz faced criticism over policies that allowed tampons in boys’ school bathrooms, as well as scrutiny over claims about his record and accomplishments.
His wife, Gwen, also drew attention after telling a television interviewer in June 2020 that she kept her windows open during the George Floyd riots because, ‘I could smell the burning tires… I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening.’
Omar’s recent interview with Chris Hayes of MS NOW offers another example, critics say, of the liberal media’s reluctance to press Democratic figures on difficult questions.
As Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley noted, Hayes waited 12 minutes before asking Omar about the immigration-fraud allegations—and laughed as he introduced the subject.
‘I am trying to figure out the way to do this,’ Hayes said, ‘that doesn’t sound like I’m insane.’
Critics called the exchange a serious journalistic failure, comparing it with the media’s earlier insistence that concerns about President Joe Biden’s cognitive health were unfounded.
Former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is reportedly weighing another White House bid in 2028 despite opposition within her party
Those concerns intensified after Biden’s fateful debate performance, which helped place Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket. Despite spending roughly $1 billion and receiving favorable coverage from much of the media, Harris lost decisively to Trump as Black and Hispanic voters shifted toward MAGA.
So why not try again?
Why not, even as multiple Democratic sources have told Our News Outlet that Harris should not seek the presidency again and that her public comments about a possible campaign have sent the party into ‘panic’ mode?
‘They are repulsed and flabbergasted that she just won’t take the hint,’ one well-placed source said. Donors, meanwhile, are reportedly ‘very snarky and condescending’ when discussing her prospects.
A report in The Wall Street Journal also said that her husband, Doug Emhoff, does not want her to run again.
Against that backdrop, Barack Obama—the former president who has repeatedly lectured his party’s voters—has chosen to promote Abdul El-Sayed as the candidate who can ‘finish the job.’
It is worth remembering that just two years ago, Joe Biden was using the same phrase.
