# Geraldo Rivera's 'Indisputably White People' Comment Sparks CNN Panel Chaos

> Geraldo Rivera suggested Michigan Sen. candidate Abdul El-Sayed should campaign with 'indisputably white people' to ease concerns, sparking backlash from CNN panelists.
- Title: Geraldo Rivera's 'Indisputably White People' Comment Sparks…
- Summary: Geraldo Rivera suggested Michigan Sen. candidate Abdul El-Sayed should campaign with 'indisputably white people' to ease concerns, sparking backlash from CNN…
- Keywords: geraldo rivera, abdur el-sayed, alexandria ocasio-cortez, cnn, michigan senate, democratic party, white people, news, politics, Geraldo, Rivera's, 'Indisputably
- Source: HuffPost — https://huffpost.com/entry/geraldo-rivera-cnn-el-sayed-white-people_n_6ad24b62e4b0bfd25657ea0d
- Published: 2026-10-16T19:00:52+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: geraldo rivera, abdur el-sayed, alexandria ocasio-cortez, cnn, michigan senate, democratic party, white people, news, politics
## Geraldo Rivera's Campaign Suggestion
Geraldo Rivera suggested Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed should campaign with 'indisputably white people' to ease concerns about his Muslim identity.

> indisputably white people
## El-Sayed's Election Status
El-Sayed leads Republican opponent Mike Rogers 48.1% to 45.5% according to Real Clear Politics but the election is weeks away.

> 48.1% to 45.5%
## Rivera's Concerns About El-Sayed
Rivera claimed Michiganders fear El-Sayed is a radical Muslim person scaring Jewish people and others in Michigan.

> radical Muslim person
## Rivera's AOC Comparison
Rivera suggested El-Sayed should campaign more with white people than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his favorite American politician.

> Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
## Panelists' Reaction
Ashley Allison interjected that AOC is American, while Rivera claimed he's a proud Puerto Rican American, prompting Charles Blow to call his comment 'so offensive'.

> so offensive
## Blow's Rally Observation
Charles Blow stated El-Sayed's rallies were mostly white, contradicting Rivera's claim that he engages in no identity politics.

> rallies were mostly white
## Social Media Backlash
Social media users criticized Rivera for using 'indisputably white people' to describe El-Sayed, calling it racist and offensive to Muslim communities.

> so offensive
## Key takeaway

Geraldo Rivera claimed El-Sayed should campaign with 'indisputably white people' to counter perceptions of radicalism, drawing criticism for implying AOC isn't American due to her Hispanic heritage.