A campaign staffer for Abdul El-Sayed, the radical leftist running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, was caught on undercover camera declaring [1] that “Americans are idiots.” The remark surfaced as El-Sayed faces scrutiny over his family’s reported ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The staffer was identified as T.J. Wolfgram, the Independent and Conservative Outreach Captain for El-Sayed’s campaign. That title makes his blunt assessment of the Americans he is supposed to reach especially striking.
The undercover recording was obtained by The Midwesterner. Wolfgram used the conversation to dismiss concerns surrounding El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood while offering his own view of the organization and its history.
The comments focused partly on reporting about El-Sayed’s mother and a company that allegedly transferred money to the Muslim Brotherhood. Wolfgram characterized the matter as ridiculous and argued that the United States had previously been neutral toward or supportive of the revolution in Egypt.
“The Muslim Brotherhood was the revolution in Egypt that we were, we as the United States, were either neutral on or even supportive of at the time,” Wolfgram said in the Oct. 15 recording. He then turned to the allegations involving El-Sayed’s family.
“And now it’s like, ‘Oh in 1999, Abdul’s mom, who did not raise him because he grew up with his father and stepmom, she worked for a company that transferred $60,000 to the Muslim Brotherhood in 19’ … it’s like, it’s so ridiculous.”
The remark tied Wolfgram’s dismissal of the controversy to the circumstances of El-Sayed’s upbringing. According to Wolfgram, El-Sayed grew up with his father and stepmother rather than the mother mentioned in the allegation.
An undercover agent then pressed Wolfgram on whether supporting revolutionary movements for one’s people should be considered offensive. The question gave the campaign staffer an opportunity to explain his position further.
“Why wouldn’t you support revolutionary movements for your people? I’m not offended by it,” an undercover agent prodded.
Wolfgram agreed with the premise, but his response quickly became a broad insult aimed at the American public. The campaign’s Independent and Conservative Outreach Captain did not hedge his assessment.
“Yeah, right,” Wolfgram said. “It’s because Americans are idiots.”
Wolfgram also made clear that he personally had no problem with the Muslim Brotherhood. His comments went beyond dismissing the scrutiny directed at El-Sayed and addressed whether he might support parts of the organization’s activity.
“I don’t have any issue with the Muslim Brotherhood,” he said.
Wolfgram added that if he knew more about the organization, he might support some of what it does. At the same time, he acknowledged that cultural differences could create disagreements about how the organization carries out its activities.
In a video obtained exclusively by The Midwesterner, Abdul El-Sayed staffer TJ Wolfgram, the campaign’s conservative and independent outreach captain, defended the Muslim Brotherhood and claimed concerns about ties are “because Americans are idiots”: https://t.co/4GYbPm3zti
— The Midwesterner (@Th_Midwesterner) October 26, 2026 [2]
The video therefore captures more than a stray insult from an unidentified supporter. It shows a named campaign staffer, holding a position specifically dedicated to independent and conservative outreach, brushing aside concerns and insulting Americans during the same conversation.
The episode is particularly ironic because Wolfgram’s campaign role centers on reaching voters outside the political left. Instead of demonstrating respect for those voters, the undercover recording caught him describing Americans as idiots while discussing an issue that has brought scrutiny to El-Sayed.
The recording reveals what members of El-Sayed’s political operation think about their fellow Americans when they believe no one else is listening. Wolfgram’s own recorded words provide the centerpiece of that criticism.
El-Sayed is running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, and the controversy concerns his family’s reported connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. Wolfgram’s response was not to treat those concerns seriously, but to call them ridiculous and blame them on what he described as American stupidity.
For a staffer tasked with independent and conservative outreach, that is quite a sales pitch. The undercover footage leaves voters with Wolfgram’s words, his stated lack of concern about the Muslim Brotherhood, and his unvarnished opinion of Americans.