Senator-elect Abdul Said hit out at Sky News reporter James Matthews during his election night coverage on Tuesday, scolding the British journalist for daring to ask questions after he bluntly declared he wanted “zero votes” from the British people just hours before his victory.
The video, released by Sky News, shows multiple angles of an angry El-Sayed walking uncomfortably up to Matthews before putting his hands on the reporter’s shoulders and scolding him for trying to cover the US election.
Michigan Senate Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed confronted @jamesmatthewsky and told him he wouldn’t answer his questions because he wanted “zero” votes from the UK.
Watch the two have a heated exchange.
Watch our live coverage of the US midterm elections ➡️ https://t.co/hrELyhg17W
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 3, 2026
“Are you registered to vote in Michigan?” El-Sayed immediately asked Matthews in front of him. “Are you registered to vote?”
“I’m not, I’m a reporter -” Matthews tried to reply, but El-Sayed quickly interrupted and put a hand on the reporter’s shoulder.
“Then why do I want to talk to you?” El-Sayed asked, his tone becoming increasingly condescending. “Explain to me why I want to talk to you? Are you a journalist? In the UK? Do you have any idea how many votes I want to get in the UK? Zero! I’ve never run for office in the UK. So I don’t actually care what you think, or the questions you ask, you really-“
El-Sayed took his hands off Matthews’ shoulders and slapped him in the face, emphasizing the words “don’t care.”
“This election is important to the world,” Matthews said, keeping his cool. “You’re running for Senate—”
“A senator from which country?” El-Sayed asked, putting his hand on Matthews again as he spoke.
“In the United States of America,” Matthews replied. “Leader of the Free World.”
El-Sayed put his other hand on Matthews’ other shoulder and continued to speak condescendingly to him.
“What country are you in?” he asked.
“I’m in America,” Matthews countered.
“No, no, no, no, no,” El Said interrupted. “But, but, but, but, but where are you reporting? Where is your audience?”
Matthews points out that his audience spans the world, but El-Sayed continues to berate him.
“Sky News is not watched in America,” he claimed of Matthews’ protest. “It was only watched in the UK, by about five people, my friend.”
The confrontation continued — El-Sayed concluded the interaction by declaring that he had answered all the questions he intended to answer and asking Matthews to “stop chasing me.”
Matthews noted that he asked a few questions, none of which were truly answered, and El-Sayed turned around and walked away.
Matthews turned to the camera and noted that El-Sayed had expressed interest in serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, meaning his duties as a U.S. senator would have international implications and he could face more questions from the international media. His behavior thus far suggests that this interaction may be unkind at best.