Abdul El-Sayed Reacts To Becoming First Muslim Elected To U.S. Senate — The View

[0:00] after a hard-fought Senate race full of controversies [0:03] and a hell of a lot of hope. [0:06] So please welcome the first Muslim ever elected [0:12] to the U.S. Senate, Abdul El-Sayed. [0:39] Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator. [0:43] This was one, this election, history was made [0:47] on so many levels. [0:50] But I think you're gonna go down [0:52] as one of the biggest parts of that history, [0:56] as the first Muslim ever to be in the U.S. Senate. [1:01] And a whole lot was made about your faith in the race, [1:11] but you stood strong. [1:15] Strong and firm. [1:17] But the people, and the people, not but, [1:20] and the people came out anyway. [1:22] So how you doing? [1:26] I'm good. [1:27] I'd like to get a little more sleep. [1:29] But now to your point, Whoopi, [1:31] you know, first it's a pleasure to be with you all [1:33] and grateful to be here. [1:35] They weren't attacking me. [1:37] They were attacking the idea of an America big enough for me. [1:40] And I think for a lot of folks in Michigan, [1:42] I know Michigan, I didn't take a bet [1:43] on my abilities or anything. [1:45] I took a bet on the goodness of the people in Michigan. [1:47] And you know, I've been me my whole life. [1:49] And so you get to see the full way [1:51] that people interact with you. [1:52] There's always a few small-minded people [1:53] who want to make America small like them. [1:54] That's true. [1:55] But the vast majority of people, they want a big America. [1:58] I took a bet on them. [1:59] And that bet more than paid off. [2:01] And so I'm just proud of my state for showing up [2:04] and saying that we are bigger than this kind of divisiveness. [2:08] We want to get money out of politics, put money in our pockets, [2:10] pass Medicare for all. [2:11] Yeah. [2:12] You know, politics has been ugly for a long time. [2:20] But in my view, I have never seen it [2:24] as ugly as it was when it came to you. [2:26] And I spoke about it a lot at this table. [2:30] J.D. Vance said that there was something about you [2:33] that is very, very evil. [2:35] Trump, President Trump's called you a jihadist [2:38] that would have to go through a metal detector [2:40] before you're allowed to go into the Senate. [2:42] Bernie Moreno said that you can be nowhere near Washington, [2:46] D.C., and then finally, Ted Cruz called you a jihadist leprechaun. [2:50] I don't even know what that means. [2:52] I want a hat. [2:53] Yeah, I don't even know what that means. [2:55] But you handled it expertly. [2:58] But were you surprised at the level of vitriol [3:01] and the level of racism and bigotry and Islamophobia [3:05] directed your way? [3:08] If they had something to say about the price of gas [3:10] or the price of groceries or the fact [3:12] that people can't see a doctor, they would have said it. [3:15] They didn't have anything. [3:15] But they didn't have anything to say. [3:16] And I kind of knew that they were going to reach for the red meat. [3:19] And here's the problem with the red meat. [3:20] It becomes an addiction. [3:22] Once you go there and you put that out there [3:23] and you say something, then you're forced to defend it. [3:26] So what do they do? [3:27] They double down and they double down, [3:28] they triple down again. [3:30] And so I wish I could tell you, [3:31] oh, my God, I'm so surprised. [3:33] But like I said, I've been in my whole life. [3:35] And more often than not, [3:36] people don't want to actually debate the issues. [3:39] Instead, they want to debase the politics. [3:42] And that's exactly what we saw. [3:44] And for me, the opportunity was to say, [3:46] look, you can talk about my name and my faith all day [3:48] if you want to, [3:49] but they're not the reason you can't afford your gas [3:51] or you can't afford your groceries, [3:52] not the reason you can't see a doctor. [3:53] I mean, if you're seeing a doctor, [3:54] they might actually have my name and my faith. [3:55] Yeah. [3:57] You know. [3:58] I love what you said. [3:59] Very possible. [4:00] What you said when they said [4:01] you should go through a metal detector. [4:02] Do you remember what you said? [4:03] I did, I did. [4:04] I'll do a metal detector all day [4:05] because I got nothing to hide. [4:06] Yeah. [4:07] But Donald, if you're watching, [4:08] lie detector's still on the table. [4:10] Yeah. [4:16] You know, I read all these things [4:17] that these folks have said about you. [4:19] You're going to work with Senators Bernie Moreno [4:22] and Ted Cruz. [4:24] How will you approach that? [4:26] Look, I'm a professional. [4:27] I'll work with anybody if it means that we could get something done [4:30] for the people of the state of Michigan. [4:31] Good. [4:32] And that's the responsibility. [4:33] Like, I'm not there to go play politics. [4:35] And I think people are sick and tired [4:36] of this retribution politics. [4:37] They did this, we do this. [4:38] Yeah. [4:39] It is not about politicians. [4:40] It is about the public we serve. [4:42] Right. [4:43] I got elected on a very clear set of messages. [4:47] I want money out of politics, [4:48] money in your pocket, Medicare for all. [4:50] And if you're willing to get that done, [4:51] let's sit down and figure out how to get that done. [4:53] If you want to play political games, [4:55] I think people are realizing I don't back down, [4:57] I don't shut up. [4:58] Yeah. [4:59] I'm not going there to play political games. [5:01] So I'm looking forward to sitting down [5:02] with every single one of my Senate colleagues. [5:04] You could say whatever you want about me, [5:05] but I'm not here to defend myself. [5:07] My job is to defend the people who can't afford [5:09] the basic means of a dignified life. [5:10] So let's sit down. [5:11] Let's figure out how to roll up our sleeves [5:12] and get work done. [5:13] You are displaying a strength of character [5:15] when you speak like that. [5:16] Yeah. [5:17] I appreciate it. [5:18] But a lot of people are trying to wonder, [5:20] are trying to figure out what happened. [5:22] How come we got this big blue tsunami? [5:24] You know, and President Trump and J.D. Vance [5:29] have pointed to the war with Iran, [5:31] which directly led to prices going up. [5:34] I think that that was connected. [5:36] And the corruption was a top issue. [5:39] What do you think it is? [5:41] You know, Joy, I wish I could say, [5:43] well, the Democrats have a mandate [5:45] because people love Democrats. [5:46] Well, they don't. [5:48] People are sick and tired of being sick and tired. [5:50] People are tired of going to work every day, [5:53] taking on extra shifts, [5:54] and then not being able to afford the things [5:56] that they need and deserve. [5:57] I talked to a gentleman. [5:58] His son is an amazing baseball player. [6:00] And he said, look, I can't afford to put my kid in baseball. [6:03] I mean, you talk about a lost American dream. [6:05] That's what that is. [6:06] Wow. [6:07] Right? [6:08] And I think we need to step back for a second [6:10] and realize that this politics, [6:12] the way that we even cover politics, [6:14] we've turned it into a spectacle like it's sports. [6:16] It's not sports. [6:17] I root for the Michigan Wolverines. [6:19] Everybody knows that. [6:20] And when we beat Ohio State, [6:21] it is the most meaningful thing that happened to me. [6:23] But guess what? [6:24] Nobody dies on the back end of it. [6:25] No. [6:26] Politics is not that. [6:27] The decisions we make have life and death consequences, [6:29] and we need to start acting like it. [6:31] So I think we won because people are tired of a president [6:34] who is a joker, who took us to a war. [6:36] He can't seem to end. [6:37] Who's more interested in the drapes in a ballroom [6:39] than he is interested in our lives, [6:41] whether or not we can even afford a home with another room. [6:44] And I think we need to start acting. [6:46] He doesn't care. [6:47] He doesn't care. [6:48] It's a real action. [6:49] So I want Democrats to step back and say, [6:50] look, it is not about us prancing around like we got a mandate. [6:54] That's right. [6:55] It is about us delivering for the American public [6:57] to make life more affordable, [6:58] to make sure that folks understand [6:59] where they're going to get their next meal, [7:01] that they got dignity at work, [7:02] and that they can see a doctor when they get sick. [7:04] Nothing short of that is going to be worth it. [7:05] You don't want any stupid wars, either. [7:07] And Senator Alec, [7:08] there's actually a great segue to what I wanted to ask you [7:10] to ask you because i think a lot of this blue wave was a response to donald trump and his allies [7:15] thinking 2024 meant that the country wanted the most extreme views of maga and he went full bore [7:20] into project 2025 and everything else um rather than like laser focusing on affordability border [7:25] security you come from the more progressive flank of the democratic party do you see this [7:30] as the party should be focused laserly on affordability and cost of living or do you [7:35] think it should be more about progressive policies well i want to think about what [7:38] progressive policies are right if you're saying we should stand up to corporations [7:42] and oligarchy that's about making life affordable everybody in this audience right now has a cell [7:47] phone probably made by one of two carriers everybody here has probably one of three carriers that give [7:52] you operability on that cell phone that is corporate power to the level that we have not seen in this [7:57] country for a very long time think about medicare for all it's just saying that everybody should [8:01] have guaranteed health insurance without having to worry about how much they got to pay on the back [8:04] end so my point is this if our policies are about trying to solve real problems for people that's [8:10] what we need to focus on and i just want to step back because we talk about left and right democrat [8:15] republican all the time i don't think that's the divide in our country anymore it is the people who [8:19] are locked out of our politics against the people doing the locking out and i want to stand with the [8:23] people who are locked out against the people doing the locking out to make sure that no matter what the [8:28] circumstances are of your life you know that you're getting a job that gives you a fair wage that you can see a [8:34] doctor when you get sick without having to worry about the bill that you have time with your family [8:39] so that at that end of that eight nine hours of work that you're not busy scrolling in your phone [8:44] because you've got corporations with addictive algorithms that lock your eyeballs and eardrums to [8:49] sell you stuff you don't need right those are the kinds of things that we need to be thinking about [8:52] what is the user experience of life in america right now and how do we operationalize that so a lot [8:56] of my policies are just about asking well where there's a corporation with too much power in society [9:01] how do we take some of that power back and give it to everyday people okay i'd have voted for you [9:14] too i'd have been so honored to earn your vote