When he ran for president eight years ago, Donald J. Trump floated the idea of creating a Muslim national registry and proposed banning immigration from Muslim countries. So it was shocking to see him Saturday at a rally in suburban Detroit celebrating support from minority Muslim and Arab American leaders.
This was a political change that would have been unthinkable during Trump’s first campaign, when he frequently made anti-Muslim statements. As president, Trump disrupted travel by banning travel from several Muslim-majority countries. And during this campaign, he is capitalizing on anti-Muslim sentiment from early in his political career.
But with the election close, Trump and his campaign are targeting Arab American and Muslim voters who may be dissatisfied with the Democratic Party over President Biden’s handling of the Gaza war and the party’s stance on social issues. We are trying to gain the support of Their support is seen as particularly important in Michigan, a key battleground state with large Arab American and Muslim voters.
At a rally Saturday in Novi, Michigan, outside Detroit, Mr. Trump invited to the stage a group of people his campaign said included Muslim and Arab American leaders. supported. (Trump has claimed they are “highly respected leaders,” but the campaign has not provided details on who most of them are, making it difficult to assess their prominence.) )
“We Muslims support President Trump because he is committed to peace,” Detroit-area imam Belal al-Zuhiri told hundreds of people at the Suburban Collection Showplace exhibition center. spoke in front of the audience. “We support Donald Trump because he promised to end the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.”
Trump has shown no plans to end the war in Ukraine, which began with Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, or the escalating war in the Middle East.
Trump has also courted Jewish voters, repeatedly expressing firm support for Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “finish the job” there. Trump then stoked fears about immigration, calling some Middle Eastern immigrants “known terrorists.”
Al-Zuhiri also cited Trump’s social views as a key reason for his support, saying that he and other Islamic leaders believe that Trump “promotes family values and supports the welfare of children, especially when it comes to curriculum and education.” “We stand by our commitment to protect the United States.” school. ”
Arab Americans have been reliable Democratic voters for two decades. But that affinity has been strained by the Biden administration’s continued support for Israel’s military attacks, particularly its recent move to war in Lebanon.
Much of Mr. Trump’s activities have been mediated by two close allies who have met privately and made pitches to Muslim and Arab American leaders. Al-Zuhiri was one of two imams who met with Trump after his speech in Detroit last week, where Trump questioned the former president about some of his language toward Muslim-Americans.
But Trump has made more public outreach to voters, including two interviews with Arab media last week.
Trump is hoping to rally public support as he attempts to flip Michigan, a key battleground state he won in 2016 but lost four years later. During a rally in Novi, he reiterated his plan to revive the auto industry through a combination of tax breaks and tariffs. He continued to criticize the city of Detroit, similar to a speech he gave in the city earlier this month.
“I think Detroit and some of its areas are what make our country a developing country,” he said Saturday.
