2026年7月28日 美国东部时间早上6:00 / 福克斯新闻
埃尔赛义德称“木桩上的食人魔”言论针对费特曼，拒不收回此前言论
密歇根州民主党参议院候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔赛义德表示，在候选人最后一场初选辩论中，他那句引发争议的“木桩上的食人魔”言论针对的是宾夕法尼亚州民主党参议员约翰·费特曼，但他并未收回该言论。（图片来源：WJBK）
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密歇根州民主党联邦参议院候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔赛义德于周一晚间拒绝为其“木桩上的食人魔”比喻道歉，此前两党批评者均谴责这段被泄露的言论带有暴力色彩，部分人士还认为其存在性别歧视。
在下周选举前的最后一场初选辩论中，当被问及是否对这番言论感到后悔时，埃尔赛义德先是为自己言论的实质内容辩护，随后才透露自己所指的对象——并非初选对手、密歇根州联邦众议员黑利·史蒂文斯。
“我当时指的是约翰·费特曼这个人，”埃尔赛义德说道，他指责这位宾夕法尼亚州民主党参议员当选时宣扬的是一套价值观，随后却“彻底将这些价值观弃如敝履”。
格雷琴·惠特默背书温和派黑利·史蒂文斯，助力竞争激烈的即将到来的参议院初选
据《政客》报道，这场争议源于埃尔赛义德近期在一次与捐赠者的Zoom会议上发表的言论。报道补充称，埃尔赛义德当时正在讨论如何利用他在密歇根州8月4日即将到来的初选以及11月大选的胜利，打造一个全国性平台，推动民主党进一步左转，并支持未来的初选挑战，比如针对费特曼的挑战。
美国参议员约翰·费特曼（宾夕法尼亚州民主党）于2026年4月22日在华盛顿特区参加参议院战争权力投票期间，走过参议院地下通道。（希瑟·迪尔/盖蒂图片社）
据《政客》获取的录音显示，埃尔赛义德当时说道：“理想情况下，你把一个食人魔钉在木桩上，其他人就能明白其中的意思了。”虽然埃尔赛义德在录音中没有点名史蒂文斯，但一些民主党人将这番言论解读为针对她。支持史蒂文斯的密歇根州联邦众议员希拉里·斯科尔滕称该言论是“暴力且粗俗的”威胁，并表示候选人应致力于降低政治对抗的热度。
曾在拜登政府任职、后来重返左翼智库美国进步中心担任负责人的尼拉·坦登，将这番言论与这场初选内部愈演愈烈的性别歧视指控联系起来。“称你女性对手为你想要钉在木桩上的食人魔，这洗脱不了这场初选存在严重性别歧视的嫌疑，”坦登在X平台上写道。
摇摆州民调显示极左翼面临困境，舒默背书的候选人凭借关键选民群体占据优势
埃尔赛义德既没有为这个比喻道歉，也没有收回。他反而辩称，参议员们应该敢于挑战那些未按照竞选时宣扬的价值观行事的同僚。这位进步派候选人随后转而指责与亲以色列游说团体美国以色列公共事务委员会（AIPAC）有关联的超级政治行动委员会“民主团结项目”，该委员会一直在代表史蒂文斯反复攻击他的人品。他在反驳针对女性的言论不尊重他人的指控时，提到了自己的妻子、母亲和两个女儿。
密歇根州民主党参议院候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔赛义德于2026年7月18日在底特律歌剧院举行的“人民对抗强权”集会上发表演讲。（莎拉·赖斯/盖蒂图片社）
“我是由坚强的女性抚养长大的，”埃尔赛义德说道，他辩称，因为他在一篇多年前的专栏文章中批评过前第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马，并在2018年州长初选中挑战过密歇根州州长格雷琴·惠特默，就被指责存在性别歧视，这“与事实不符”。
史蒂文斯则回应称，埃尔赛义德在被泄露的捐赠者电话会议中还发表过其他言论，包括攻击惠特默、前参议员黛比·斯塔贝诺以及州参议员莫莉·麦克莫罗。麦克莫罗本月早些时候退出了与埃尔赛义德和史蒂文斯的竞选。
“只有他能解释清楚，他为什么会说惠特默是被收买的，或者说没人在乎黛比·斯塔贝诺，又或者说莫莉·麦克莫罗不够聪明，”史蒂文斯说道。
她随后针对埃尔赛义德的澄清做出了尖锐回应。
“感谢你澄清你没有称我为食人魔，”史蒂文斯说道。
密歇根州联邦众议员黑利·史蒂文斯（右）与前韦恩县卫生部门主任阿卜杜勒·埃尔赛义德正在角逐2026年8月4日密歇根州这个五大湖战场州的民主党参议院初选。（盖蒂图片社）
密歇根州民主党人莫莉·麦克莫罗于初选前数周退出参议院竞选
与此同时，史蒂文斯的竞选发言人阿里克·沃尔克指责埃尔赛义德诉诸人身攻击，将竞选重心放在其全国政治野心而非密歇根州本地事务上。
“阿卜杜勒一直在进行人身攻击，将这场竞选变成关乎他个人政治野心和其他49个州的事，”沃尔克说道。“黑利则专注于为密歇根州办实事，而且只服务于密歇根州。”
共和党人也借机利用这一争议。共和党全国委员会研究部门将埃尔赛义德在辩论中的回应描述为将费特曼称为“食人魔”的行为“变本加厉”，而密歇根州共和党策略师德尼斯·伦诺克斯则认为，埃尔赛义德的竞选“旨在推动极左翼势力在全国范围内崛起”。
“木桩”的比喻此前也曾引发政治争议。2020年，特朗普前白宫战略家史蒂夫·班农曾表示，他要将安东尼·福奇博士和时任联邦调查局局长克里斯托弗·雷的人头“钉在白宫外的木桩上”，以此警告联邦官员。
当时的X平台（前身为推特）因这番言论的反弹而封禁了班农的播客账户，脸书和优兔也以违反暴力或煽动性内容政策为由，移除了包含该言论的视频。班农随后坚称自己是在打比方——与埃尔赛义德的情况类似。
史蒂夫·班农于2025年9月3日在华盛顿特区举行的全国保守主义会议上发表演讲。（多米尼克·格温/中东图片社/法新社通过盖蒂图片社）
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同年早些时候，在唐纳德·特朗普总统首次弹劾审判期间，另一起“人头钉木桩”争议爆发。据哥伦比亚广播公司报道，一位不愿具名的特朗普亲信称，共和党参议员曾收到警告：“投票反对总统，你的人头就会被钉在木桩上。”
时任众议院弹劾经理、现任加利福尼亚州联邦参议员亚当·希夫在参议院 floor 上转述了这一报道，同时强调：“我不知道这是不是真的”以及“我希望这不是真的”。共和党参议员随即驳斥了这一说法，缅因州共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯表示，她不知道有任何参议员受到过政府的威胁；阿拉斯加州共和党参议员丽莎·穆尔科斯基在谈到希夫提及的所谓言论时说道：“就是从那时起，我不再信任他了。”
“我不仅从未听过‘人头钉木桩’这种说法，而且我知道没有任何共和党参议员受到过政府中任何人的任何形式威胁，”柯林斯当时对记者说道。
亚历克·舍梅尔是福克斯新闻数字频道的政治记者，原籍北卡罗来纳州夏洛特，现居住在华盛顿特区-巴尔的摩大都会区。
Far-left Senate hopeful explains ‘ogre on a pike’ remark after getting torched by his own party
July 28, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News
El-Sayed says Fetterman was target of ‘ogre on a pike’ remark, stands by comments
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., was the target of his controversial “ogre on a pike” remark during the candidates’ final primary debate but did not take it back. (Credit: WJBK)
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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, declined to apologize Monday night for his “ogre on a pike” metaphor after critics from both parties condemned the leaked remark as violent and, in some cases, sexist.
Pressed during the final primary debate before next week’s election, over whether he regretted the rhetoric, El-Sayed defended the substance of his comments before revealing whom he had been referring to — and it was not primary opponent Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.
“I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman,” El-Sayed said, accusing the Pennsylvania Democratic senator of getting elected on one set of values before “completely throwing those values in the mud.”
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The controversy stemmed from comments El-Sayed made during a recent Zoom meeting with donors, Politico reported, adding that El-Sayed was discussing how to use his victory in Michigan’s upcoming Aug. 4 primary and the November election to build a national platform to move the Democratic Party further left and support future primary challenges, such as against Fetterman.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) walks through the Senate Subway during the Senate War Powers vote on April 22, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
“Ideally, you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message,” El-Sayed said, according to audio obtained by Politico. While El-Sayed did not name Stevens in the recording, some Democrats interpreted the remark as referring to her. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., who has endorsed Stevens, called the remark a “violent, vulgar” threat and said candidates should be working to lower the political temperature.
Neera Tanden, a former Biden administration official who returned to leading the left-wing think tank the Center for American Progress, connected the remark to broader accusations of sexism that have roiled the primary. “Calling your female opponent an ogre you want to put on a pike is not beating the rap that this race has some serious sexism,” Tanden wrote on X.
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El-Sayed did not apologize for or retract the metaphor. He instead argued that senators should be willing to challenge colleagues who fail to act according to the values on which they campaigned. The progressive candidate then pivoted to accuse the United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, of running repeated attacks against his character on Stevens’ behalf. He invoked his wife, mother and two daughters while rejecting accusations that his rhetoric toward women had been disrespectful.
Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at The People V. The Powerful rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan.(Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
“I was raised by strong women,” El-Sayed said, arguing that claims he was sexist because he had criticized former first lady Michelle Obama in a years-old opinion piece and challenged Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the 2018 gubernatorial primary were “inconsistent with the truth.”
Stevens responded by highlighting other comments attributed to El-Sayed during the leaked donor call, including attacks involving Whitmer, former Sen. Debbie Stabenow and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who was in the race with El-Sayed and Stevens before dropping out earlier this month.
“Only he can account for saying that Whitmer is bought and paid for, or that no one cares about Debbie Stabenow, or that Mallory McMorrow isn’t smart enough,” Stevens said.
She later delivered a pointed response to El-Sayed’s clarification.
“Thank you for clarifying that you didn’t call me an ogre,” Stevens said.
Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, right, and former Wayne County Health Department Director Abdul El-Sayed are facing off in the August 4, 2026, Democratic Senate primary in the Great Lakes battleground state.(Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Stevens’ campaign spokesperson, Arik Wolk, accused El-Sayed of resorting to personal insults and focusing on his national political ambitions rather than Michigan.
“Abdul continues with personal insults and making this race about his personal political ambitions and the other 49 states,” Wolk said. “Haley is focused on getting things done for Michigan, and only Michigan.”
Republicans also took advantage of the remarks. RNC Research characterized El-Sayed’s debate response as a “double down” on calling Fetterman an “ogre,” while Michigan Republican strategist Dennis Lennox argued that El-Sayed’s candidacy was “about propelling the hard Left’s ascent nationally.”
The “pike” imagery has triggered political controversy before. In 2020, former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon said he would place the heads of Dr. Anthony Fauci and then-FBI Director Christopher Wray “on pikes” outside the White House as a warning to federal officials.
X, then-Twitter, suspended Bannon’s podcast account following backlash over the remarks, while Facebook and YouTube removed the video they were included in, citing policies addressing violent or incendiary content. Bannon later maintained that he had been speaking metaphorically — similar to El-Sayed.
Steve Bannon speaks at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington D.C., Sept. 3, 2025.(DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
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Earlier that year, a separate “head on a pike” controversy erupted during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial after CBS News reported that an unnamed Trump confidant said Republican senators had been warned, “Vote against the president and your head will be on a pike.”
Then-House impeachment manager, now Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., repeated the report on the Senate floor while stressing, “I don’t know if that is true” and “I hope it is not true.” Republican senators immediately disputed the account, with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, saying she knew of no senator who had been threatened by the administration and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said of Schiff’s remark about the alleged comments: “That’s when he lost me.”
“Not only have I never heard the ‘head on the pike’ line, but also I know of no Republican senator who has been threatened in any way by anyone in the administration,” Collins told reporters at the time.
Alec Schemmel is a Politics Reporter for Fox News Digital who is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but now resides in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore Metro Area.