Sen.-elect El-Sayed Says He'll Swear on a Quran and Offers Trump a 'TrumpCare' Card

Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the Senate-elect who beat Republican Mike Rogers in the midterms, said Thursday that he will likely be sworn in on a Quran. He would be the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate. In an NPR interview, he said it was not yet settled which copy he would use. One option is Thomas Jefferson's copy, which Rep. Keith Ellison used for his 2007 oath. Another is the University of Michigan's very old copy, the first Quran in the state. Jefferson bought his copy in 1765 while studying law, according to the Monticello website.

El-Sayed also stepped up his pitch to President Donald Trump on universal health care Thursday. He posted three images of a golden "TrumpCare" card bearing Trump's signature, with the message "Donald, this is on the table." The card describes a Medicare-for-all system accepted at every doctor, hospital and clinic, with no premiums, deductibles or copays. El-Sayed campaigned on Medicare for all and has recently said he would name it for Trump if that won the president's support.

The Blaze and Breitbart, the right-leaning outlets, lead with the Quran oath. Their headlines stress the swearing-in and the first-Muslim milestone. The Blaze adds El-Sayed's remark that America is big enough for any name or prayer, and says he mocked Vice President JD Vance. Breitbart calls him "Leftist" and adds earlier reports on his Sharia compliance, praise from a former Muslim Brotherhood party spokesman, and a Colombia trip. HuffPost, the left-leaning outlet, leads with the TrumpCare card instead. It stresses Trump's fondness for gold and for putting his name on things, and it does not mention the Quran in the excerpt. Both sides report El-Sayed's Thursday statements, but each covers a different one. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing.