Former President Donald Trump will make the first trip by a major presidential candidate of the 2024 cycle to the Arab stronghold of Dearborn, Michigan.
Sam Abbas, owner of The Great Commoner, told the Associated Press that Trump will visit his restaurant on Friday. The move is a major breakthrough for the Trump campaign among a traditionally stubborn Democratic voter bloc, Arab Americans, who have grown disillusioned over the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
“We expect some remarks around ending the war and bringing peace to the Middle East,” Abbas said. “I’m not here to get political. I’m not here to tell people which way I’m voting. I am simply here because our family is being slaughtered and we just want to end the war. Stop the bombing.”
Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States, with a sizable amount in Dearborn. Their votes, or lack of turnout, could help swing the election in one of the most crucial swing states.
Trump allies had reached out weeks prior about hosting the former president in Dearborn, according to Abbas. His requirement for the visit was a statement from Trump that showed the former president “has the intentions of ending the war and helping us rebuild Lebanon and helping the displaced and the injured.”
This requirement was satisfied on Wednesday when Trump released a statement on X condemning the Biden-Harris position on the Middle East while touting his own record.
“I will fix the problems caused by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and stop the suffering and destruction in Lebanon,” he wrote. “I want to see the Middle East return to real peace, a lasting peace, and we will get it done properly so it doesn’t repeat itself every 5 or 10 years!”
“I will preserve the equal partnership among all Lebanese communities,” Trump continued. “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 the Middle East. I look forward to working with the Lebanese community living in the United States of America to ensure the safety and security of the great people of Lebanon.”
Abbas said that roughly 100 people from the community are expected to attend the event.
“He’s coming to us to basically tell us, ‘Look, I did what you guys asked. My intentions, my true intentions are to bring peace and to end the war,’” he said.
Trump has seen a series of victories with the Arab and Muslim communities recently, including endorsements from two Democratic mayors of Muslim-majority cities. He brought up local Muslim leaders with him during a rally in Michigan last week.
Vice President Kamala Harris has largely relied on surrogates to ease tensions among the Arab and Muslim communities in Dearborn.
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Despite disillusionment with Harris, many Arab and Muslim Americans are still reluctant to get behind Trump, weary of his pro-Israel position and record. Many are also bitter about the Trump administration’s travel ban from several majority-Muslim countries.
Trump faces perhaps his toughest swing state battle in Michigan, where the Real Clear Politics polling average gives Harris the biggest lead over her rival, at 0.8 points. The polling average gives Trump the lead in every other swing state aside from Wisconsin.