Donald Trump meets with Arab Americans in Dearborn and promises peace

Donald Trump met with Arab American supporters Friday afternoon at a halal cafe in Dearborn, vowing to bring peace to the Middle East if he is elected and repeatedly criticizing Liz Cheney.

“You will have peace in the Middle East” when I become president, “not with the clowns who now run the United States,” Trump said at The Great Commoner, a halal cafe run by a Lebanese man. An American family is concerned about Israeli attacks in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. “They should have peace in the Middle East, but not with the clowns you have. There are people in the Middle East who are not doing their jobs. There are people in the United States who don’t do their jobs.”

Trump’s visit is the latest example of historic election year for Arab Americans in Michigan and Muslim communities, which were more visible at Republican events than ever before. Trump appeared on stage in Novi on October 26, accompanied by a number of Muslim leaders, and also held a rally in Hamtramck on October 18 with elected Muslim officials and community leaders.

As Trump’s motorcade rolled down Michigan Avenue, the street was filled with both supporters and opponents. Several people gave the middle finger and a woman could be heard shouting, “Free Palestine.”

Entering the cafe at 3:10 p.m., Trump shook hands with supporters while others filmed his appearance on their phones. He then spoke to reporters, criticizing Cheney, whose recent town hall in Royal Oak with Kamala Harris was criticized by Arab Americans unhappy with her support for foreign wars. Dearborn has the highest percentage of Arab Americans of any U.S. city, and more than 80 protests in support of the Palestinians, Lebanon and Yemen have been held in the Detroit suburb over the past year.

Albert Abbas, brother of cafe owner Sam Abbas, gave a speech standing next to Trump, criticizing President Joe Biden’s administration for a “pathetic failure.” On Trump’s other side stood Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany Trump and a Lebanese native who has done extensive outreach to Michigan’s Arab-American communities this year.

“Let me say a few words to our president, our future president and our former president,” Abbas said, praising the former president. “As Arab Americans, we stand united against the betrayal of those in power. Our families at home are suffering, their cries for help echoing across borders while the world remains silent. It is time to prioritize our country’s interests and promote lasting peace for all. The current administration has been a complete failure in every aspect of humanity. It is critical that the Republican Party recognizes the contributions of Arab Americans. We will no longer tolerate fake news that seeks to demonize our people. We are proud Americans and we are enriched by it. nation with our hospitality, education and hard work.”

Trump then walked to the kitchen, where there are signs that read: “Let’s end the war” and “Stand for peace in Lebanon and Gaza.” Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib and Dearborn Heights Bill Bazzi, both supported Trump and lead cities with the second (Hamtramck) and third (Dearborn Heights) highest percentages of Arab Americans in the US.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hamood and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Detroit Democrat whose district includes Dearborn, released statements on X Friday criticizing Trump ahead of his visit but also criticized Democrats for policies they said allowed Trump to become popular among disillusioned Arab Americans. war.

“The architect of the Muslim ban is stopping his campaign in Dearborn,” Hamood wrote, referring to Trump’s travel ban that barred entry of visitors from some Muslim-majority countries. But Hamoud added that Democrats’ “reluctance to defund and allow genocide has created space for Trump to infiltrate our communities.”

Hamoud also said that this was the first time the Trump campaign asked him to sit down with Trump, but he refused. In August, Hamood held a sit-down with Kamala Harris. The mayor did not nominate anyone for the presidency.

“I refused to meet with him, although requests continue to come,” Hamoud said. “Trump will never be my president.”

Tlaib said, “Trump is a proud Islamophobe + serial liar who does not stand for peace,” but the only Palestinian American member of Congress added, “The reality is that the Biden administration’s unconditional support for genocide is what got us here. This should be a wake-up call to those who continue to support genocide. This election wasn’t supposed to be close.”

Trump’s visit to Dearborn came just four days before an election in which Michigan, which has the highest percentage of Middle Eastern residents of all 50 states, is seen as a swing state. Biden won Dearborn and Hamtramck in 2020.

Trump’s 20-minute visit was the first time a Republican presidential candidate has visited Dearborn’s Arab-American community in 24 years since then-Texas governor George W. Bush came to Dearborn in October 2000. Bush met with dozens of Arabs. American and Muslim leaders who later supported him. The following week, Bush raised concerns about racial profiling of Arab Americans during a debate with Al Gore, the Democratic nominee.

While signing signs honoring the cafe, Trump spoke to reporters while attacking Liz Cheney, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives whose father was one of the architects of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

“Liz Cheney is a disaster,” Trump said. In a war, “she wouldn’t fight, she would chicken out so quickly.”

Speaking about security hawks, Trump said that “they don’t mind killing people. But if they had to do it themselves, she wouldn’t fight. She’s a coward.”

A man in the crowd at one point shouted, “Mr. President, we love you.”

There is widespread frustration in Dearborn with President Joe Biden’s administration over the killings of Arabs in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen over the past year. Social issues are another factor: Some Muslims in Dearborn are upset about LGBTQ+ books in public schools.

A woman in the crowd shouted that Trump was “fighting for our children.”

Trump’s speech in Dearborn also included Robert Kennedy Jr., who posed for a selfie and got into a war of words about genocide in the Gaza Strip with Dearborn activist Hassan Chami. Kennedy was a staunch supporter of Israel.

A reporter asked Trump if he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about ways to end the conflict.

“I always talk about things like this,” Trump responded.

Before visiting Hamtramck last month for a rally of Arab Americans who generally oppose Israel’s leadership, Trump told reporters that Netanyahu is “doing a good job. Biden is trying to contain it… and he should probably do the opposite.”

Trump was also accompanied in Dearborn by campaign aides Jason Miller and Stephen Miller, who helped craft the Muslim travel ban.

Trump spoke later Friday in Warren.

Contact Neeraj Variku:[email protected] or X @nwarikoo