Former President Donald Trump on Friday became the first major presidential candidate in 2024 to visit the Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Trump on Friday met with Arab Americans in Dearborn — the nation's largest Arab-majority city — as the Republican presidential nominee works to court the potentially decisive group.
Trump was greeted with cheers and applause from a modest crowd at The Great Commoner restaurant in one of his campaign's final attempts to garner support in the key battleground state.
The Washington Examiner reported that Trump, who has staked much of his campaign on ending U.S. involvement in foreign wars, said during his remarks at the halal cafe, "We want to have peace on Earth."
Cafe owner Albert Abbas said he looked to Trump to find peace in the Middle East.
"We look to a Trump presidency with hope, envisioning a time where peace flourishes, particularly in Lebanon and Palestine, maintaining the integrity of our borders," Abbas said.
With Michigan being a state that Trump must win, the visit to Dearborn cements the former president's connection with a critical voting bloc. Trump doesn't necessarily need the Arab American vote to win Michigan, but if enough of the community remains disenchanted with the Democratic Party, that could be a winning formula for Trump, the Examiner reported.
One Arab American voter, who declined to give his name, said of Trump's visit to the cafe, "It's not an endorsement."
A second Arab American voter said he might vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
"I think I might. I really do. The fact that she's neutral, she's not bought by anybody or paid by anybody," the voter said.
The undecided Michigan vote could prove to be deciding in this year's election. In February, over 100,000 voters in Michigan staged a protest vote in the Democrat primary to push back against President Joe Biden and his Middle East policy. Biden won Michigan in 2020 by approximately 154,000 votes.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.