“I will not regret my decision to support Trump because he is the right choice for this crucial time,” said Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib in a Facebook post on Sunday. The Democrat, who leads a city with an all-Muslim city council, went on to say that though he may not agree with Trump on everything, he believes the former president is a man of principles.
Ghalib’s endorsement of Trump was met with praise from the former president, who reposted the statement on his new social media platform, Truth Social. Trump also privately met with Ghalib for 20 minutes on Tuesday before his campaign event in Michigan, where the mayor discussed his decision to support Trump.
According to Ghalib, Trump showed a deep understanding of his background as an immigrant from Yemen and the concerns of Arab Americans and Yemeni Americans. The meeting, arranged by members of the Trump campaign, also covered topics such as the debates, poll updates, and statistics of votes in Michigan and Wayne County.
As Michigan is considered a crucial battleground state, Trump’s endorsement from Ghalib could give him an advantage in the 2024 election. According to RealClearPolitics, Trump currently trails Vice President Kamala Harris by 1.7% in the state’s polls. In the 2020 election, Biden won Michigan by 2.8% over Trump, with Wayne County overwhelmingly voting for Biden at 68.4%.
Ghalib’s endorsement of Trump may also be a reflection of growing dissatisfaction with the Biden-Harris administration in the state. In 2020, Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib urged voters to “vote uncommitted” in the primaries as a protest against the administration’s stance on Israel. This movement won two “uncommitted” delegates, and Biden ultimately won the state with over 618,000 votes.
The blue wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are crucial for presidential candidates to secure in order to win the White House. RealClearPolitics shows Harris leading Trump in Pennsylvania by 0.7% and in Wisconsin by 1.0%. With Ghalib’s endorsement and the potential for increased support from Arab American and Yemeni American communities, Trump could gain an advantage in these critical states.
Ghalib’s endorsement of Donald Trump proves that the former president is the right choice for this crucial time. Ghalib’s decision to support Trump highlights the growing dissatisfaction with the current administration and could give Trump an advantage in winning the blue wall states. With the election only a few months away, it will be interesting to see how Trump’s momentum will continue to grow with the support of influential leaders like Ghalib.