Mixed or conditional
“Good start. But then ... So that's not so good.”
Frum approved of El-Sayed's initial condemnation but criticized the later contextual framing.
- Speaker
- David Frum
- Capacity
- Staff writer at The Atlantic and host of The David Frum Show
- Observed
- September 5, 2026
- Published here
- September 5, 2026
- Targets
- Abdul El-Sayed
- Classification rationale
- His response combines explicit credit for the opening condemnation with a negative assessment of what followed.
Surrounding material
Full context
Before the quotation
Frum played El-Sayed's response in sequence during a discussion with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel about Jewish voters.
After the quotation
The conversation continued into Nessel's account of why many Jewish voters viewed El-Sayed's remarks as excuses for violence.
Evidence
Complete source record
The David Frum Show: Dana Nessel and Jewish voters in Michigan (opens in a new tab)Closing exchange after the Piker clip
Frum responds to a clip of the disputed passage during an episode about Jewish voters and Michigan politics.