From Trump to El-Sayed: US Arabs in Michigan centre Palestine in politics
While the United States president has been a disappointment to Arab Americans in Michigan with his pro-war and anti-immigration policies, she stressed that it was untenable for the community to vote for Democrats as Israel’s genocide unfolded in Gaza.
“There had to be accountability for the genocide. We’re OK with what we voted for,” Luqman told Al Jazeera. “I said from the beginning, I’m willing to live through another four years of Trump, that we expected him to be bad on our issues, but it was a pill we were willing to swallow in order to hold the Democratic Party accountable.”
Luqman is not alone. Despite Trump’s staunchly pro-Israel policies and unpopular war on Iran, many say supporting Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in 2024 was out of the question, and it was the right choice for the community to break with the Democratic Party.
“I could not – with a good heart, good conscience – tell someone to vote for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump,” but the approach of “lesser of two evils” no longer works to sway Arab voters, Hussein Dabajeh, a prominent political strategist in the Detroit area, home to large Arab and Muslim communities, told Al Jazeera.
Democrats’ popularity amongst Arab Americans nosedived in 2024 as President Joe Biden ignored calls to compel a ceasefire in Gaza and continued to provide Israel with weapons and military aid as it killed tens of thousands in Palestine and Lebanon. Then, Vice President Harris refused even to consider an arms embargo against Israel. As a result of these policies, many Arab Americans, who had been reliable Democratic voters for years, ditched the party and refused to support Harris in her presidential bid.
Trump swept in, presented himself as a “peace” candidate, and his campaign forged ties with Arab community advocates. At a rally in Michigan ahead of the 2024 vote, Trump brought local Muslim imams to the stage and praised the community. The Republican leader also visited the predominantly Arab and Muslim Detroit suburb of Dearborn ahead of the election. Trump ended up winning Michigan as many Arab voters in the Dearborn area refused to support the Democratic ticket.