Some Arab Americans who voted for Trump are concerned about his choices for key positions

LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Just a week after winning the majority of votes in many of the nation’s Arab-majority cities, President-elect Donald Trump has filled top administration positions with staunch supporters of Israel, including the ambassador to Israel who said there is “no such thing as Palestinians.”

Meanwhile, two of Trump’s advisers who led his outreach to Arab Americans have yet to secure administration positions.

This election caused a mixed reaction among Arab Americans and Muslims in Michigan, which went to Trump and the rest of the six battleground states. Others noted Trump’s long-standing support for Israel and said their vote against Vice President Kamala Harris did not mean they endorsed him. Some who support him openly say that he will make the final decisions on policy and hope that he will keep his promise to achieve an end to the conflicts in the Middle East.

Albert Abbas, the Lebanese American leader whose brother owns a Dearborn, Michigan restaurant that Trump visited in the final days of the campaign, stood by the former president during the visit and spoke in support.

Now, Abbas says it is “too early” to judge Trump and that “we all need to take a deep breath, take a positive step and let him do the work he has to do to achieve this peace.”

“I want you to think what else it was,” Abbas said, referring to the current administration’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon. He added, “What did you expect me or many members of the community to do?”

Besides promising peace in the Middle East, Trump gave few concrete details on how he plans to achieve it. His transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Throughout the campaign, his supporters tended to focus more on criticizing Harris than explaining his agenda. And the specter of conflict — and the deaths of tens of thousands in Gaza and Lebanon — sparked anger among many in the Arab and Muslim communities about President Joe Biden and Harris’ support for Israel.

Amin Hashmi, a Pakistani American in Michigan who voted for Trump, urged him to keep his campaign commitments to bring peace.

“I’m disappointed but not surprised,” said Hashmi, who urged Trump to “keep the promise he made to the Arab people of Michigan.”

Trump picks what pro-Israel conservatives call ‘dream team’

Those in the community who have concerns point to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who has been appointed as Trump’s ambassador to Israel. Huckabee has always rejected the idea of ​​a Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel, strongly supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposed the two-state solution, saying “there really is no such thing” as the Palestinians when talking about the descendants of Israel. the people who lived in Palestine before the establishment of Israel.

While Huckabee has caused a lot of concern among members of the public, some of Trump’s Cabinet picks have spoken out strongly in favor of Israel as it targets Hamas following the group’s attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took hostages. hundreds of others.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been nominated for secretary of state, has opposed the ceasefire, saying he wants Israel to “destroy every element of Hamas they can find.”

Trump’s pick to be his ambassador to the United Nations, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, has led university presidents’ inquiries into anti-Semitism on campuses. He also opposed funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency, which oversees aid to Gaza.

The Republican Jewish Coalition, which organized for Trump in Michigan, has come out in support of many of Trump’s Cabinet picks. Sam Markstein, director of the political party, described the proposed list as a “pro-Israel dream party,” adding that “people are confused about the choices.” He praised Trump’s pro-Israel record as “second to none.”

Markstein said: “The days of this bullshit, trying to get support from both camps on this issue are over.” The way to protect this region is peace with force, and that means there is no sunlight between Israel and the United States.”

There are currently no significant figures in Trump’s outreach to Arab Americans

Among the reasons why some African American voters supported Trump was that they believed his core supporters would be key to the next administration.

Masad Boulos, a Lebanese businessman and father-in-law to Trump’s daughter Tiffany, has led efforts to engage the Arab American community, organizing dozens of meetings across Michigan and other Arab-majority areas. Other times they included Richard Grenell, the former acting director of national intelligence, who was held in high esteem by those who met him.

Neither Boulos nor Grenell has been tapped for a position in the incoming administration, although Grenell was once considered a possible secretary of state before Rubio was selected. Boulos declined to comment and Grenell did not respond to a request for comment.

“Some people expected Trump to be different and thought Massad would play a big role,” said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab American News, which declined to endorse a presidential candidate.

Siblani himself rejected the proposed meeting with Trump after the unofficial announcement.

“But now people come to us and say, ‘Look what you did,'” said Siblani. “We had a choice between shooting and killing someone who threatened to do that. We had to punish the person who shot and killed us at that time.”

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Associated Press writers Mike Householder in Detroit and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.