Tucker Carlson has unexpectedly praised Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, calling his platform “literally Trumpian” and saying he would not vote for his GOP rival Mike Rogers “at gunpoint.”

The right-wing broadcaster hosted podcaster Saagar Enjeti on his self-titled show, in the course of which the duo discussed the race between El-Sayed and Rogers, noting that while the former had started out as a “full-blown leftist,” he had undergone an “ideological evolution.”

“I watch his campaign now, it’s America First,” Enjeti said. “When he talks about Israel, he says, ‘Israel is committing a genocide, but ultimately I want to make sure that you don’t pay more for healthcare.

“‘I don’t want your tax dollars going abroad to fund this barbaric military.’ He stands in front of a giant American flag. It’s almost Trumpian in terms of a lot of those problems.”

“Well, it is literally Trumpian,” Carlson agreed, with both men going on to predict that the progressive former public health official was likely to beat Rogers in November.

El-Sayed has enjoyed a rapid rise to fame since triumphing over Rep. Haley Stevens in August’s primary, despite the latter outspending him nine-to-one after receiving $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

He has since attracted comparisons with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from some quarters and coded attacks from others, including from President Donald Trump – to which he has responded with relish.

The candidate has pledged to oppose further U.S. aid for Israel over its actions in Gaza, a pet issue for Carlson, who has repeatedly been accused of antisemitism for his criticism of the country, which he has claimed has an outsized influence over Washington, D.C.

Carlson is not the first right-winger to admit his affection for El-Sayed: Fox News host Jesse Watters confessed that he liked him too following a fiesty interview with the candidate, who dared to ask him live on air if he was circumcised.

“I actually like Abdul,” Watters said subsequently. “I probably shouldn’t like him, but I do. I think he’d be a terrible senator and he’s a little bit of a lunatic… But at least he’s not your typical stiff.”

Unlike El-Sayed, Rogers, a former congressman and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, has a reputation for fiercely supporting Israel, although his campaign is reportedly anxious about AIPAC’s support for him, given the adverse reaction it attracted in the primary, allowing El-Sayed to win out over Stevens.

“I wouldn’t vote for Mike Rogers at gunpoint,” Carlson told Enjeti.

His guest in turn pointed out that the Republican previously lost a Michigan Senate primary to Democratic incumbent Elissa Slotkin in 2024, calling him: “A literal loser who lost when Donald Trump won the state, just to show you how much of a headwind he had at his back.”

“He’s basically a tool of Israel and the intelligence agencies,” Carlson claimed. “How would you run someone like that? I don’t – it doesn’t even make sense.”

Anticipating Rogers’ defeat to El-Sayed, Carlson said he knew him personally but nevertheless believed: “There’s no one who should be farther from a position of power than Mike Rogers.”

Enjeti reiterated: “This is the guy who lost to Slotkin when Donald Trump was able to win the state. And so they can cry about vote-rigging and all that… OK, whatever.

“But we all know that this is not a strong candidate in a wave year, which just happened. And they decided to nominate him literally yet again. Genuinely shocked.”