Leaders of the Arab-American population in Michigan reportedly canceled a prospective meeting with the campaign of President Joe Biden. The denial came as the state’s small but rapidly growing Arab and Muslim population may not vote for Biden in November, potentially swinging the presidential race.
The planned Biden campaign event would have occurred in Dearborn, Michigan, which has a large Muslim and Arab-American population. The meeting coordinator, Wayne County’s Deputy Executive Assad Turfe canceled the planned “listening tour.”
“Unless something drastic happens, you have lost the Arab American and Muslim community,” said Turfe. The official added that there was nothing he believed Biden’s campaign could do to win over the area’s population.
“Until there’s a cease-fire, the overall consensus in the community is they’re not welcome here, essentially,” he said.
The sentiment was shared by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud (D), saying that he would “not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a live-streamed genocide backed by our government.”The sentiment was shared by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud (D), saying that he would “not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a live-streamed genocide backed by our government.”
When Biden was asked about the potential decline in support from Arab Americans, Biden accused former President Donald Trump of wanting to ban Arabs from the country.
WATCH: @POTUS Biden dismisses concerns about rejection by Arab-American voters over #GazaGenocide. #Gaza #CEASEFIRE_NOW pic.twitter.com/ZieS1RJQUs
— Ibrahim Hooper (@ibrahimhooper) January 18, 2024
He said that this would show “who cares about the Arab population.”
Biden’s support among the group has fallen significantly since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October.
In a poll taken after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that killed 1,200, only 17% of Arab-Americans said they supported Biden. The president issued a statement in favor of Israel’s right to self-defense after the attack.
The low figure showed a major decline compared to the 59% of Arab-Americans who supported him in 2020. His approval rating before the Oct. 7 attack among the group was 35%.
The survey also found that more Arab Americans are now not Democrats than part of that party. This includes 32% who see themselves as Republicans and 31% who call themselves independents.
The same poll also saw a significant increase of support for former President Donald Trump, who would get the vote of 40% of the demographic.
