Kid Rock Claims Islamic Extremism 'Scares the Hell Out of Me' in Debate Over Candidate El-Sayed

Kid Rock questioned whether Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed could be concealing radical views during a Friday appearance on 'Real Time with Bill Maher,' saying Islamic extremism 'scares the hell out of me' as he compared El-Sayed to the 9/11 hijackers.

The musician made the remarks while discussing El-Sayed, a Muslim physician and former Detroit health director who is running against Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's open Senate seat. Barack Obama campaigned with El-Sayed in Detroit on 24 October, according to Consequence, as Democrats sought support before the midterm elections.

Kid Rock Raises Islamic Extremism Fears

Maher introduced the subject after discussing what he characterised as opposite reactions to Muslim candidates in US politics and referring to Donald Trump's recent attacks on El-Sayed. He asked whether Kid Rock believed El-Sayed posed the threat Trump had described.

Kid Rock pointed to the candidate's education and apparent assimilation into American society, then invoked the 9/11 attackers. He stated that El-Sayed appeared well assimilated, but suggested the hijackers had been too, and questioned whether the candidate might be withholding more radical beliefs.

'The 9/11 hijackers weren't here assimilated,' Maher told him. 'They had come from Saudi Arabia.' Kid Rock challenged that account, asking whether the men who flew the planes were actually Saudi.

Facts on the 9/11 Hijackers

The 9/11 Commission states that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. The other four came from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon.

According to the commission, most of the 15 muscle hijackers entered the United States between late April and late June 2001, months before the attacks. The four pilots generally arrived earlier. The commission's dates do not support Kid Rock's characterisation of the hijackers as assimilated Americans.

Kid Rock Also Defends Pete Hegseth

Elsewhere, Kid Rock defended Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after Maher criticised his leadership of the Pentagon. Challenging the credentials of generals who had opposed Hegseth, the musician asked, 'How many of those generals actually served like Hegseth?'

He then referred to their military academy backgrounds. Maher did not respond during the exchange. Consequence stated that the generals and military officers who questioned Hegseth during those hearings had served in the military, although the publication did not identify the hearing or participants.

Maher also suggested that Kid Rock's support might be connected to Hegseth's response to a March incident involving Army Apache helicopters near the musician's Tennessee home. Consequence said the flyby led to an investigation and the suspension of the crews before Hegseth intervened to end the inquiry.

Consequence also wrote that Kid Rock and Hegseth each rode in Army Apache helicopters at a Virginia military base weeks later, drawing further scrutiny over the use of military resources.

The appearance followed Kid Rock's recent comments about his album Halfway 2 Jesus. In an interview cited by Consequence, he said he was trying to become 'less polarizing' and to 'give people more grace on their beliefs.' He added that 'you can always find common ground somewhere, with everybody.'

Kid Rock appeared on the 30 October episode of Real Time with Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei, after an interview with Republican Senator Ted Cruz.