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Donald Trump announces he is expecting a Lebanese American grandson

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Donald Trump announces he is expecting a Lebanese American grandson

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Former President Donald Trump’s comments Thursday that “the whole country is going to end up like Detroit” if Vice President Kamala Harris, a rival for the presidency, is elected made headlines and a T-shirt slogan.

But while some of Trump’s other remarks at the Detroit Economic Club, mainly that his young daughter Tiffany is pregnant, also made news, it was also a subtle reminder that in a close race in Michigan, the Arab vote -American is important.

Proud father Trump’s announcement that he has an 11th grandchild on the way highlighted, for those who know, a family connection that the presidential candidate hopes will translate into some votes among Arab Americans in Michigan, a demographic Harris is also courting.

Some Harris supporters, however, have expressed concern that in a close race, the vice president could lose if she does not take a clearer stance against escalating violence in the Middle East and Israel’s fight against Iran and Iran-backed groups such as the Palestinians. Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, could cost him votes.

Tiffany Trump, the former president’s fourth child who has largely stayed out of the political spotlight, is married to Michael Boulos, who was born in Lebanon, and Boulos’ father, Massad Boulos, has been leading an effort to build Trump’s support among Arab Americans. , especially Democrats.

The pregnancy also means Trump, who also met with some Islamic clerics in metro Detroit on Thursday, is expecting a Lebanese-American grandchild.

All three, Tiffany, her husband and father-in-law, as well as Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, will meet at the Renaissance Center Marriott in Detroit on Friday with other political figures for an event organized by the American. Middle East Alliance for Trump.

Last month, Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib endorsed Donald Trump for president.

Hamtramck has the highest percentage of immigrants in Michigan and a Muslim city council, which could turn Hamtramck, which has historically voted for Democrats, including Biden in 2020, into a base of support for Trump.

And in May, both Michael and Massad Boulos, along with dozens of other Arab American and Middle Eastern leaders in Michigan, met with former Donald Trump administration official Richard Grenell to discuss the his frustrations with President Joe Biden at an Italian restaurant in Troy. .

Trump’s other daughter, Ivanka, converted to Judaism after meeting her husband, Jared Kushner.

More: 43-foot nude sculpture of Trump rises in Detroit, turns heads and elicits laughter

As recently as this week, Harris told CBS that diplomacy with Israel should continue.

And Harris, whose husband, Doug Emhoff, is also the first Jewish spouse of a US vice president and has emphasized his Jewish identity in the presidential campaign, is trying to politically balance the concerns of pro-Israel voters and Arab groups americans

As for Trump’s comments Thursday, businessmen wasted no time turning their Detroit apparel into a red T-shirt, parodying his “Make America Great Again” slogan. It sells online for $26 and says instead, “Make American Detroit Again.”

Boulos, Arab News reported, is “using his connections” and meeting with Arab American leaders in Michigan who are disenchanted with Biden and Harris. And the Associated Press noted that Boulos has been “trying to convince a politically influential community” that “Trump is a better choice.”

Still, it’s unclear how much that will help, given what Trump has also said recently and over the years, claiming to be more pro-Israel than Biden and Harris and making several comments that his critics have criticized as Islamophobes.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [email protected].

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