'Habibi, there's a delicious irony': What the word Abdul El-Sayed used on JD Vance actually means | US Midterms 2026

On Tuesday (Nov 03) Abdul El-Sayed created history by becoming the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress. In his victory speech, the Michigan Senator-elect took a playful dig at US Vice President JD Vance, saying "Habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in, in January."

The word did the rounds instantly, with the clip of his message to JD Vance going viral. But what does "habibi" actually mean?

What does Habibi mean?

"Habibi" is an Arabic term of endearment that literally translates to "my dear" or "my beloved". It comes from the root "habib", meaning beloved, and the suffix "-i", meaning "my".

It's one of the warmest, most common words in everyday Arabic speech and is used far beyond romance. Friends greet each other with it, shopkeepers use it with customers, and families say it constantly. In the Levant and across West Asia, it's a default term of closeness, roughly the equivalent of "dear", "buddy" or "mate" depending on the context.

Why it works here

That warmth is exactly why the line landed. El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, took a term of affection and turned it into a pointed jab at the vice president, who, along with POTUS Donald Trump, in recent weeks had repeatedly mocked his Arabic name. The "delicious irony" he flagged is constitutional; Vance, as the US vice president, is duty-bound to swear in the senator-elect.

el-Sayed did not spare Trump either; addressing the US president, he repeated his cheeky jibe from earlier and said, “I know you struggle with my name, so after JD swears me in, you can just go on and call me Senator.”

What did Vance say about Abdul el-Sayed's name? The context

The jab was the payoff of a broader fight. Vance and President Donald Trump in the lead up to the US midterms have repeatedly emphasised El-Sayed's middle name, "Mohamed," in what critics and the Michigan senator-elect's campaign called Islamophobic attacks. El-Sayed had earlier flipped the mockery into a joke, explaining that Abdul means "servant", El-Sayed means "leader" and Mohamed means "the praised one", suggesting the administration had inadvertently upgraded him.

In one word, El-Sayed managed to be warm, cutting and historically aware all at once. "Habibi" may be a term of affection, but on election night, it carried the weight of a victory speech.

Netizens laud el-Sayed's choice of words

On Tuesday, el-Sayed clocked victory not only in elections but also on the internet. His choice of words instantly earned him the internet's seal of approval, with netizens lauding his choice of words.

As the video of his clever jab gained traction, one X user remarked, "'Habibi' means 'my dear', which is generous. would’ve gone with 'see you at work, motha*****'".

"Blud's teasing level is on another planet. Went through an entire English speech and casually dropped an Arabic word, 'HABIBI', just to end irony of JD," commented another user. "That was the politest disrespect I've ever seen," added a third.

Other Arabic words el-Sayed used to celebrate victory

Habibi was just one of the Arabic words people took a note of from el-Sayed's victory speech. One phrase that has similarly gone viral was the dramatic 'Inshallah to Alhamdulillah’ comment. Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the Senate, told Michigan, "Tonight, we can turn that 'inshallah' into an 'alhamdulillah.' “ Then, taking a pointed dig at the ”right-wing ops”, who in recent days have tried to brand him a jihadist, he clarified, "That just means ‘praise be to God."’