Trump meets Arab-Americans in Dearborn, Michigan, but top community leaders skip event

LANSING, Michigan — Donald Trump met with Arab-Americans in the nation’s Dearborn, Michigan, on Friday the largest Arab-majority city — as the Republican presidential nominee works to court the potentially decisive group despite his history of Islamophobic rhetoric and politics.

Trump was greeted with cheers and applause from a modest crowd at The Great Commoner restaurant in one of his campaign’s latest attempts to drum up support in the key battleground state.

Metro Detroit is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country, with a large portion of them living in Dearborn. The city — which Democrat Joe Biden won by a 3-to-1 margin in 2020 — has been roiled by political unrest, with many angry at the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Democrats worry that anger over the war will cause traditionally loyal voters to switch votes to Trump or third-party candidates like Jill Stein, or shut down the top of the ballot altogether. That could prove crucial in Michigan, a state that both parties see as a letdown.

While the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, worked surrogates to ease community tensions, Trump’s visit marked a first for either candidate, according to a local leader, Osama Siblani. Earlier this year, Harris met with the city’s Democratic mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, although their discussion took place outside of Dearborn.

The meeting with Arab supporters on Friday follows Trump’s rally in Michigan last week, when he brought local Muslims with him on stage. Trump also received endorsements from two Democratic mayors of Muslim-majority cities.

“It is time to prioritize the interests of our nation and promote lasting peace for all,” said Albert Abbas, an Arab-American, as he stood next to Trump. “This current administration has failed miserably in all aspects of humanity.”

He added: “We look to a Trump presidency with hope and envisioning a time when peace will flourish, especially in Lebanon and Palestine.”

While many democratic leaders in the Arab community have Harris did not claimthey are still deeply negative about Trump and say his endorsements do not reflect the majority of the community. They recall his call for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the country and his travel restrictions for visitors from Muslim-majority countries. And some point out that Trump has hinted that he will give Israel even more freedom to attack its rivals in the region.

Top community leaders in Dearborn, including Hammoud, declined an invitation to meet with Trump while he was in town. Many community leaders say that even though Harris never won the endorsement, they are still overwhelmingly opposed to Trump.

Siblani, a prominent community figure who has engaged with Democratic leaders over the ongoing tensions, noted that many “don’t trust” Trump because of his past policies and remarks. Still, he emphasized the importance of Trump’s visit to Dearborn.

“Kamala should have done this months ago,” Siblani said.

Harris defended her position on the issue on Friday, telling reporters that she is “proud to have significant support from the Arab American community,” while adding that she continues to support a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages.

Israel invaded Gaza after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas and last month launched an invasion of Lebanon to suppress Hezbollah, the militia that has continuously fired rockets into Israeli territory. At least 43,000 people have died in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatant and civilian deaths.

Abbas said Trump’s allies contacted him a few weeks ago about hosting Trump in Dearborn. Before hosting Trump, Abbas said he wanted to see a statement from Trump that showed Trump “has intentions to end the war and help us rebuild Lebanon and help the displaced and injured.” .

That statement came Wednesday, when Trump posted on X that he wanted to “stop the suffering and destruction in Lebanon.”

“I will preserve the equal partnership between all Lebanese communities,” Trump said at X. “Your friends and family in Lebanon deserve to live in peace, prosperity and harmony with their neighbors, and that can only happen with peace and stability in Lebanon . Middle east.”

Once Trump released the statement, Abbas said he agreed to host the event.

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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.