At a recent campaign rally, MAGA-aligned U.S. Representative Lisa McClain (R-MI), who is running for re-election, criticized Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee running for U.S. Senate against Trump-endorsed Mike Rogers in Michigan.
McClain told the crowd that El-Sayed wants American taxpayers to pay for universal healthcare. She said: “He wants you all to pay for it. He wants, like I said, free healthcare for everyone,” and then suggested that El-Sayed doesn’t really support it because his wife, Dr. Sarah Jukaku, doesn’t treat patients for free.
McClain suggested El-Sayed said, “‘Except my wife, she doesn’t need to provide free healthcare for everyone.’”
Lisa McClain questions why El-Sayed’s wife doesn’t treat patients for free if he’s really a supporter of universal healthcare
pic.twitter.com/HMqxHoqrRI — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 31, 2026
Several X users chided McClain for misunderstanding or misrepresenting how universal healthcare works.
One Canadian replied: “Just an FYI, Doctors in Canada get paid by the Govt for the services they provide to their patients. The Govt pays for those services with our tax dollars, simple.”
Democratic political pundit Jared Ryan Sears replied, “Do Republicans think that doctors work for free with universal healthcare? They always come up with the absolute worst, clueless, nonsensical analogies. The saddest part is how many people fall for it.”
Another critic of McClain’s comments replied: “By this logic, if you support public schools your kid’s tutor should work for free. If you support roads you should personally pave I-75 on Saturdays. Revolutionary stuff.”