MacCallum says El-Sayed must distinguish allies from enemies
Martha MacCallumFox News host speaking during The Story
MacCallum criticizes El-Sayed's answer as failing a basic distinction required of someone seeking Senate foreign-policy responsibilities.
“You have to be able to understand who is our enemy and who is our ally. That is an easy, easy question, okay?”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Abdul El-Sayed describes dangers from Israel and Iran; Pete Buttigieg draws an ally-enemy distinction
Abdul El-Sayed declined to rank Israel and Iran as threats during Michigan's Senate debate, describing different dangers from each. Pete Buttigieg answered that Iran is an enemy and Israel an ally, while saying he would still vote for El-Sayed.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Mediaite reports their exchange on The Story after MacCallum played Buttigieg discussing El-Sayed. It quotes Trent defending the answer and MacCallum criticizing the refusal to distinguish an ally from an enemy.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
On The Story on October 15, MacCallum asked Trent why El-Sayed had not put the Israel-Iran question to rest. Trent said he had, and that few people he knew had worried about an Iranian attack. MacCallum called these basic questions, especially for anyone seeking a seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
After the quotation
Trent responded by criticizing President Trump's dealings with Russia.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Reference point: El-Sayed's refusal to rank Israel and Iran as threats and his comparison of the dangers they pose. Condemned: MacCallum says a Senate candidate must be able to tell an enemy from an ally and calls the question easy, criticizing El-Sayed for not answering it that way. Challenged the characterization loses because she rejects the answer as inadequate rather than only disputing its description of Israel.
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- People and groups discussed
- Abdul El-Sayed
More from this case
Read the full caseHewitt praises Buttigieg's distinction from El-Sayed
“Thus far only @PeteButtigieg has separated himself from the radicalism of Abdul El-Sayed. It was deft but definite.”Read statement
Trent defends El-Sayed against repeated questioning
“I mean, he’s put it to rest so many times. It just keeps getting asked and asked and asked.”Read statement
Buttigieg distinguishes an enemy from an ally but still backs El-Sayed
“Iran is our enemy. Israel is not. They’re an ally, so that’s pretty clear to me.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "MacCallum says El-Sayed must distinguish allies from enemies". First published: 2026-10-18. Last updated: 2026-10-18. https://disputeindex.com/events/5901-maccallum-criticizes-el-sayed-s-answer-as-failing