Updated

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drew criticism after singling out the world's 500 million Arabs and claiming they don't produce science or literature. The remarks came in an attack on Michigan Senate Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, according to Al-Monitor reporting on October 27, 2026. The comments prompted backlash over their generalization about Arabs and their timing in a contested Michigan campaign that has already seen disputes over how US politics discusses Israel and Gaza.