Donald Trump won the votes of many Arab voters mainly because of his campaign promise to end the war in the Middle East. What are their feelings a year later?
It's not easy to talk to people in the Yemeni cafe in the American city of Dearborn. Almost no one wants to share their opinion about the Trump administration. Two men nevertheless agree to say what they think - in their opinion, the situation in the Middle East is very bad, and President Trump is racist because he keeps deporting people. However, they refuse to be photographed, ARD reports in its report from the USA.
More and more votes for the Republican Party
The city and the surrounding area are the place in America with the largest percentage of Arabs. In the US as a whole, about 60 percent of them are Christians, but in Dearborn most are Muslims. In the 1960s, many of these people immigrated here - near Detroit - to work in car factories. Traditionally, they vote for the Democratic Party. In the presidential election a year ago, however, things looked different.
The war in Gaza was a key issue for Muslims here, ARD writes. Many families were worried about their loved ones in the Gaza Strip or Lebanon. Trump appeared several times in Dearborn during the campaign and promised that he would bring peace to the Middle East. Many voters were disappointed with Joe Biden and the Democrats. Conservatives among them identified with Trump's positions on family values.
Comedian and lawyer Amer Zar told ARD that he is proud of the people here, thanks to whom he believes Trump was elected. "A lot of people tried to make us feel guilty. It just shows our influence", he says. He recalls that Trump came to Dearborn during the campaign, unlike his opponent Kamala Harris.
Can these people expect gratitude?
Now the people of Dearborn are carefully watching how Trump treats the Arab community and whether he shows gratitude for their support. Some representatives of the Arab community have received diplomatic posts, ARD writes. For example, Bill Bazy, who will become ambassador to Tunisia. The Senate is also expected to approve the nomination of another Arab American, Amr Ghalib, as ambassador to Kuwait.
The founder of "Arab Americans for Trump" Bishara Bahbah has another important role - since March of this year he has been in Qatar most of the time as part of the American mission for negotiations with Hamas. He describes himself as an independent, but often praises Trump's policies. However, the president has not returned to Dearborn since the election, and Bahbah says he has not spoken to him since the election.
The effect on the economy
In the state of Michigan, about 35,000 Arab Americans are business owners. They create about 100,000 jobs, explains Faye Nemer, who is the founder of the Middle East American Chamber of Commerce in Dearborn. The Democratic Party tried to attract her to its campaign in 2024, but Nemer was so disappointed with Biden's policy towards Gaza that she voted for the Republican Party for the first time.
Now she is seeing the economic consequences of her choice, writes ARD. One of the companies she works with had to lay off a large number of workers, and another has been severely affected by high tariffs - if things continue like this, it is not certain whether the company will be able to stay afloat. Nemer, however, defends Trump's policies. "If you compare the short-term effects with the long-term effects, then in my opinion the short-term suffering is justified by the long-term benefits”. According to her, the alternative was worse than Trump's choice. Nemer prefers not to comment on the president's policy towards Gaza.
Christian nationalists see danger
The city, where more than half the population is of Arab origin, has become a target of Christian nationalists - for example, representatives of Turning Point USA. The youth national-conservative organization, founded by Charlie Kirk, who was killed in September, works in favor of Trump and his policies.
Pastor Calvin Robinson tells ARD that he fears that Christian culture could die in Dearborn. According to him, it is unacceptable for Muslims to hold public office. He and other Christian nationalists traveled from other parts of the state to attend a city council meeting in Dearborn, where they say there is a danger of "Islamization”. Another attendee and representative of Turning Point USA says he wants to warn people about the danger.
"We live in peace in Dearborn. We pride ourselves on being an open-armed community. These people don't understand that we get along,” said City Council Vice President Leslie Herrick in the ARD report.