Former President Donald Trump's efforts to court Arab Americans are making inroads, with some expressing confidence he could achieve a two-state solution.
A major fissure was exposed within the Democratic Party with the onset of the war in Gaza, the bloodiest round of fighting in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since Israel's independence in 1948. Arabs and Muslims in the United States have grown increasingly bitter with the Biden-Harris administration, with many in the historic Democratic demographic vowing not to support the ticket in November if it doesn't change course on its support for Israel. Some Republicans have seen an opportunity and made increasing efforts to win the demographic over.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Bishara Bahbah, founder of the group Arab Americans for Trump, said the former president was gaining support among Arab Americans, partially due to their confidence that he holds sympathy for the Palestinian cause and would push for a two-state solution.
Bahbah divulged that he and Trump met in person in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in July, during which the former president said he was "100%" behind a two-state solution.
A lifelong Democrat, Bahbah said he voted for President Joe Biden in 2020. However, the president's handling of the war in Gaza turned Bahbah and many other Arabs against the Democrats.
"This guy came into office announcing that he was a Zionist," Bahbah said, referring to Biden. "From my perspective, an American President should not be a Zionist. An American President should be President of the people of the United States."
The most recent polling of Arab Americans has reflected the growing anger toward the Biden-Harris administration. A May poll of Arab Americans in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan from the Arab American Institute found that Trump was winning the Arab vote 32%-18%, compared to Biden clinching the vote 59%-35% in 2020.
Trump has typically pitched himself as a fervent ally and unconditional supporter of Israel, but during the 2024 campaign, he has largely sought to toe the line between supporting Israel and calling for an equal peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. His campaign has been making increasing inroads among the Arab community, partially due to Bahbah and other Muslim and Arab leaders.
"I traveled around the country only to find out that there is a tremendous base of support for the former president," Bahbah told the New Yorker. "Now, after having been introduced to the Trump circle, particularly Ambassador Richard Grenell and Dr. Massad Boulos, we started traveling together, and the first meeting we held was in Troy, Michigan, in May of this year, where we met with about 40 Arab and Muslim American leaders. That meeting was very encouraging, even though we found that there is some skepticism toward President Trump."
The primary matters discussed during the meeting between Bahbah and Trump were a ceasefire for the war in Gaza, a two-state solution, and Trump's previous travel ban from several prominently Muslim countries, commonly described as a "Muslim ban." Bahbah said the ban was originally former President Barack Obama's idea.
"Now, first of all, it was President Obama who began the heightened vetting of people coming from countries where there is political turmoil," he said. "It so happened that most of them came from Muslim countries. Nobody would say that it was Obama that initiated the Muslim ban."
Bahbah also identified a silver lining to Trump's proposed ban on refugees from Gaza, saying his motivations for doing so were irrelevant.
"Listen, I am in full support of him. If the Palestinians leave historic Palestine, we would no longer have a Palestinian state," Bahbah said. "So I don’t want any Gaza refugees to leave. I want the war to end."
"If it’s Trump’s concern or not, it’s irrelevant to me because I don’t want people from historic Palestine to be emigrating," he added when pressed. "I don’t. I mean, I was born and raised in Jerusalem, and the Israelis took my right of residency. That pains me."
Bahbah also downplayed Trump's moves in favor of Israel during his presidency, characterizing the moving of the American Embassy to Jerusalem as the "mere moving of a plaque," saying his overtures toward the country "pale in comparison with the Biden administration being complicit in the genocide that is being committed in Gaza."
Bahbah also revealed that he was the one behind Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's letter of consolation to Trump after the assassination attempt against him.
"I was instrumental in getting that letter from Abbas. I called and said, 'I’m going to be meeting with the President. I would like to hand him a letter.' This was regarding the assassination attempt," he said. "Abbas’s people said, 'We’ve already issued a statement in the Palestinian News Agency.' I said, 'Who the hell reads the Palestinian News Agency? Write a letter.' And then eventually they did write the letter, which I sent on to Dr. Massad Boulos."
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However, Bahbah expressed dissatisfaction with the interview, saying his quotes were taken out of context.
He said the New Yorker "has stooped to a low when its reporter, @IsaacChotiner published an interview with @bahbahbishara today. Quotes were taken out of context, and the magazine failed to fact-check his questions. Shame!"
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