First posted on Instagram · @profilopolitics
Kid Rock is sounding the alarm over the future of America.
The Michigan-born musician is raising concerns about the rise of Islamism, warning that he does not want his American grandchildren to face a "civil war over religious ideology."
Speaking about his hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, Kid Rock pointed to the city's large Arab American population and argued that Americans need to understand the distinction between extremist movements and more moderate interpretations of Islam.
He also took direct aim at Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, calling him a "wolf in sheep's clothing" and criticizing his alleged refusal to condemn Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the United States designates as a foreign terrorist organization.
The comments add fuel to an already heated debate over national security, religious extremism, immigration — and the direction of Michigan's Senate race, where El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers on November 3 for the open seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters.
Kid Rock, a longtime Trump ally who spoke at Saturday's Clarksville rally ahead of the president's speech, has never been shy about wading into politics. His warning lands as the Michigan race tightens into one of the most watched Senate battles in the country.
El-Sayed's own statements and positions remain important context for voters evaluating the criticism — from the resurfaced 2018 clip of him vowing his state wouldn't spend "a dime" enforcing immigration law, to his Sunday Meet the Press interview walking back past criticism of Barack Obama.
Should candidates be pressed to clearly condemn designated terrorist organizations? How should America address concerns about religious extremism while protecting the rights of law-abiding communities? The debate over Michigan's future is getting louder.