This afternoon, we talked again with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the child of immigrants, Rhodes scholar, physician, Columbia University professor of epidemiology and public health, and former youngest city health official in the U.S., who’s running in the 2026 primary to represent Michigan in the Senate seat that’ll open up when Gary Peters steps down. We talked to him earlier this year (in one of the most inspiring conversations we’ve had at The Ink) as he was beginning his primary campaign, and we wanted to catch up with him about the future of the Democratic Party following Tuesday’s sweeping electoral victories. El-Sayed talked to us about:
How the people have built a bigger definition of what an “American” can look like and be like, and why the MAGA movement’s cruelty is a temper tantrum — a losing argument for a waning, smaller vision of what the country can be
Why Democrats have gotten so caught up in talking about process that they’ve lost sight of how to talk to people about the shared goals that can unite them
What he’s learned from medicine about the art of speaking truth to pain — and how he brings that to politics
How things look different after Zohran Mamdani’s victory, and why the Democratic Party’s future depends on rejecting the donor class and getting back to serving the people, not power
You won’t want to miss this one. Just click on the video player above to watch the full conversation. And then tell us what you think in the comments below.
Our live shows are open to all. Afterward, to access the full video of this interview and the transcript, become a paying subscriber.
Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our staff a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people.
Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription.
Join us for more Live conversations this week!
Join us tomorrow, Friday, November 7, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, when we’ll speak with journalist Jonathan Karl about his new book, Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America.
To join and watch, download the Substack app (click on the button below) and turn on notifications — you’ll get an alert once we’re live, and you can watch, chat, and even participate in the conversation during our Book Club meetings from your iOS or Android mobile device. If you’re using a computer, you can also watch (and ask questions in the text chat) on our homepage.
