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El-Sayed's "habibi" jab becomes a political fundraising name

A Qatar-based broadcaster traces the Arabic expression from a remark aimed at JD Vance to search queries, merchandise and a reported new PAC.

Channel: Al Araby Arabic channel ·

Arab worldStory of November 8, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of العربي - أخبار 's most watched videos since yesterday, with 537,826 views.

العربي - أخبار : The Arabic television channel Al Araby, broadcasting from London since 2015, owned by a company backed by Qatar. 12M subscribers and 9.7B views.

"حبيبي" تشغل الأميركيين، لماذا بحثوا عنها بعد سخرية عبدول من نائب ترمب؟ │تواصل

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:01Habibi can express affection or irony; the report connects American curiosity to El-Sayed's remark about Vance.
1:06Juha reports a surge in searches for the word's meaning and cites Associated Press coverage.
1:45Merchandise and online videos adopt the phrase, followed by an AI-generated song and Lego-style graphics.
3:28The report says El-Sayed registered a Habibi PAC to support progressive political allies.
4:29PAC fundraising supports candidates and campaigns; lobbying seeks to influence political decisions.
6:05Posts on X respond to the expression's spread and the announcement of the political committee.

"Habibi" has moved from a Michigan victory speech into American political branding, according to Al Araby Television News, based in Qatar. Its report follows senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed's use of the Arabic expression while mocking Vice President JD Vance, and says El-Sayed has since given the name to a political action committee.

Presenter Amani Juha begins with the word itself. Literally an affectionate address meaning "my beloved," habibi can convey warmth, familiarity or irony, depending on the setting and delivery. The report presents El-Sayed's address to Vance as a teasing use rather than a declaration of affection.

El-Sayed, a politician and epidemiologist elected to represent Michigan, will enter a chamber over which Vance presides as vice president. Juha highlights the prospect of Vance administering his oath in January as an additional irony in their exchange.

The broadcast says curiosity about the expression pushed the question of what habibi means into seventh place among trending U.S. Google searches. It also points to Associated Press coverage explaining the word. Clips, stickers and merchandise followed, including the slogan "HABIBI, CALL ME SENATOR." An AI-generated song and Lego-style graphics are shown as examples of the online political humor surrounding the moment, not as footage of real events.

The more consequential development comes midway through the report: Juha says El-Sayed has launched a Habibi political action committee, registered with the Federal Election Commission, to raise money and provide financial support for progressive allies.

She then distinguishes campaign fundraising from lobbying. PACs collect and spend money under election-finance rules, while lobbying seeks to influence political decisions. These activities can exist within the same broader political network, but they are not interchangeable.

The closing section surveys posts about both the expression and the committee. What starts as a language story ends with the report's account of El-Sayed turning a recognizable campaign phrase into an organizing vehicle.

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