Arab Americans for Trump, a group that supported the election of U.S. President Donald Trump's race for the White House in 2024 and were instrumental in bringing him votes has begun distancing from the president in the wake of his plan to turn Gaza into a so-called Middle East Riviera, in part by removing Gazans from the coastal strip.
The group has changed its name from Arab Americans for Trump and now goes by Arab Americans for Peace. It says it still believes the in the president's commitment to peace in the Middle East but it does take issue with his intention to "take control of Gaza" and encourage Palestinians to leave the Strip.
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Arab-Americans in support of Trump during his election campaign
(Photo: Drew Angerer / AFP)
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Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump during their press conference in D.C. on Tuesday
(Photo: Andrew Cabellero-Reynodls / AFP)
Trump repeated his plan on his social media platform on Thursday after he outlined the idea for the U.S. to "take over" Gaza during a White House press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday and floated a proposal to relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries and redevelop the war-torn territory into a "Riviera of the Middle East," while not ruling out the deployment of U.S. troops.
Although they were not an official part of the Trump presidential campaign, the group played a central role in communicating his messages among the American Arab community, especially in the swing states of Michigan and Arizona. Members of the group also arrange meetings with allies of the then-candidate including Richard Grenell, Trump's envoy for special missions, and Massad Boulos, Trump's in-law and a senior member of the campaign for Middle-East and the Arab world.
Then candidate Donald Trump visiting Michigan
(צילום: רויטרס)
Yahya Basha who founded Arab Americans for Trump, said he was not surprised by Trump's comments, given earlier statements by the president's Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner about Gaza being a good site for a future resort, but remained skeptical that the U.S. would execute those plans.
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"We believe that his ideas, as well-intentioned as they might be, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way," he told Reuters. "We're opposed to any transfer of Palestinians, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, out of their homeland.
He said he did not regret anything he did to get Trump elected. "I hope we see positive signs in the future," he said adding that he believed Trump's comments were often provocative rather than the basis of policy, citing his comments on buying Greenland or to make Canada the 51st state of the U.S."
Leaders in Michigan's Muslim community were outraged, some calling Trump crazy and his announcement "total chaos."