Trump Scores Big Endorsement That Shows Alarming Sign for Kamala Harris: She's Struggling with Key Voter Group
In a move that raises concerns for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, the mayor of a predominantly Muslim city near Detroit has thrown his support behind former President Donald Trump, highlighting potential challenges with a critical voter group.
This development follows a statement from the group behind the “uncommitted” protest vote, which previously posed the only significant hurdle to President Joe Biden’s path to the nomination. The group, which had been central in challenging Biden after his faltering debate performance on June 27, also confirmed it would not back Harris.
In Michigan, where the “uncommitted” movement originated, Democratic Mayor Amer Ghalib of Hamtramck, a Muslim-majority Detroit suburb, endorsed Trump on social media, calling him “the right choice for this critical time.”
“Let me be clear, so our expectations are realistic,” Ghalib said in his Facebook post.
“President Trump and I may not agree on everything, but I know he is a man of principles,” Ghalib’s message continued.
“Though it’s looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time. I’ll not regret my decision no matter what the outcome would be, and I’m ready to face the consequences.”
He added: “For this, and for many other reasons, I announce my support and endorsement for the former, and hopefully, the next president of the United States, Donald Trump. Now, let the Caravan begin its journey. This is just the starting point.”
Ghalib’s support for Trump may seem unusual, given that he’s the mayor of a city where the council passed a resolution renaming a section of road “Palestine Avenue” after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. However, Hamtramck is also recognized for its social conservatism due to its religious demographics.
Deadline Detroit pointed out that the same city council banned the pride flag from being displayed on city property last year. Ghalib has also met twice with former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who has warned that woke ideology could pose a threat to Islamic communities in the U.S.
Fox News reported that Ghalib later had a private 20-minute meeting with Trump in Flint, Michigan.
“He knew a lot about me before the meeting,” Ghalib told Fox News.
The two reportedly discussed a variety of topics, including debates, polling data in Michigan and Wayne County, as well as concerns from the Arab American and Yemeni American communities. They also touched on the situation in Yemen.
Though Ghalib is one of the few prominent American Muslims to endorse Trump, what’s becoming increasingly clear is the potential impact of the “uncommitted” vote on the 2024 election. This is particularly significant even after Joe Biden exited the race.
As The New York Times recently reported, the Uncommitted National Movement — the group that rallied hundreds of thousands of voters against Biden due to U.S. support for Israel in Gaza — has also chosen not to endorse Harris.
The Times reported that the group’s decision stemmed from Harris’ failure to respond to their request for a meeting with Palestinian American families affected by the conflict and discuss halting U.S. arms shipments to Israel.
“The group said it had asked for a response by Sept. 15,” the Times stated.
The group’s decision came a day before Harris’s public appearance with Oprah Winfrey during a Q&A event near Detroit.
Abbas Alawieh, one of the organization’s co-founders, said: “Vice President Harris’s unwillingness to shift on unconditional weapons policy or to even make a clear campaign statement in support of upholding existing U.S. and international human rights law has made it impossible for us to endorse her.”
The organization also made it clear that it would not endorse Trump or any vote that benefits him, citing Trump’s “bragging about accelerating the genocide against Palestinians” and his promises to crack down on pro-Palestinian activism in the U.S.
Michigan, second only to Minnesota in terms of uncommitted votes during the primaries, remains a battleground state. Unlike Minnesota, which is considered more reliably Democratic, Michigan remains up for grabs. Roughly one in 10 voters in the primaries either supported the “uncommitted” option or backed a minor candidate, signaling future challenges.
Compounding Harris’ issues, younger voters — who were supposed to be a key demographic for her — have been lukewarm in their support. While polls indicate she performs better than Biden with voters under 30, she still lags behind Biden’s 2020 performance with this group.
Amer Ghalib may be an exception, but his endorsement illustrates that simply swapping out candidates hasn’t fixed the issue of uncommitted Democratic voters, who might either sit out the election or tilt the 2024 race in Trump’s favor.