By Can Hasasu
WASHINGTON (AA) - Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Youssef said he will not vote for another term for President Joe Biden, as he cannot support someone who is not listening to requests for a cease-fire in Gaza.
“I don't want to vote for Biden,” Youssef told Anadolu in an interview in Washington, DC. “I cannot participate and give my voice to Biden.”
“And of course I can’t vote for (former President Donald) Trump. It's against all my views, but I can't reward someone who is not listening to the simplest request for cease-fire with a vote,” he added.
Youssef, a heart surgeon turned comedian, attracted millions of viewers worldwide in an interview with Britain’s Piers Morgan in which he criticized Israel's war on Gaza and the Western narrative of Arabs and Palestinians.
“I was put in this situation and it seemed to do resonate with the people but I don't I can't explain why or how but I'm glad that I said what I had to say,” he said, “I am grateful for the response, some reason that people are speaking up.”
“I was just put in a position where I would I was asked my opinion and I said what I had to what I had in my mind.”
Asked about the challenges to expressing his views in the US, Youssef said there are challenges everywhere in the world.
“I mean, there's a lot of flaws in the American democratic system, in the media, but at least we have space to speak up. And I'm grateful for that and I use that space,” he added.
“We try as much as possible to extend that kind of freedom of expression,” he said, adding that comedy is a source of freedom of expression, and a way to express yourself.
“You can be living in a country that you liked living in, but you don't agree with its policy, and that's what I express,” he said, adding that a lot of Americans might not be aligned 100% with all of their country's policy.
Youssef, who lives in California, was in Washington, DC, for his 'Middle Beast' comedy tour.
“The stand-up comedy show is basically following my story from being a doctor, to a television host to coming out in America as an immigrant. And it's a very personal story that anybody can relate to, whether an Arab, Muslim, Christian and whether the immigrants we're actually seeing in America,” he added.