Watch: Bill Clinton compliments Abdul El-Sayed almost 20 years before midterm victory

The Independent World Thursday 05 November 2026, 14:56 UTC By Holly Patrick 1 min read

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Independent TV Showing now | News 00:24 Watch: Bill Clinton compliments Abdul El-Sayed almost 20 years before midterm victory Archival video footage from a 2007 University of Michigan commencement ceremony shows former president Bill Clinton praising then-student valedictorian Abdul El-Sayed almost 20 years before the Senator-elect's victory in the 2026 midterm elections. The clip went viral on X ahead of Election Day. Clinton said of El-Sayed: "I wish every person in the world who believes that we are fated to have a clash of civilizations, and cannot reach across the religious divides, could have heard [him] speak today." Ahead of the midterm elections, El-Sayed told Jon Stewart's podcast, The Weekly Show, about how Clinton personally encouraged him to consider politics.

Bill Clinton (PERSON) Abdul El-Sayed (PERSON) Independent TV (ORG) University of Michigan (ORG) Clinton (PERSON) El-Sayed (ORG) Jon Stewart's (PERSON)

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Watch: Bill Clinton compliments Abdul El-Sayed almost 20 years before midterm victory

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