Trump adviser Alina Habba tells Michigan Chaldeans they have the power to flip swing state

More than 187,000 Chaldeans live in Detroit area, giving the community a strong voice in the November 5 election

Lawyer Alina Habba speaks to the media on September 6 in New York, after former president Donald Trump appealed against a $5 million jury verdict finding him liable of sexual abuse. EPA

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Donald Trump’s senior adviser Alina Habba has told members of Michigan's large Chaldean community that they have the voting power to flip the battleground state in the former president's favour on November 5.

Winning Michigan is crucial for Mr Trump or his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris as they seek the White House, and the Chaldean American vote could help determine the outcome.

Chaldeans are Iraqi Catholics. The Detroit area is home to the largest Chaldean population outside of Iraq, with more than 187,000 living there, according to the Chaldean Community Foundation.

While Chaldeans skew conservative, many in the community felt duped by Mr Trump after voting for him in 2016, when he went on to order the deportations of more than 1,400 Iraqi nationals – many who had been in the US since childhood.

Ms Habba, a Chaldean-American whose parents were born and raised in Baghdad, joined Mr Trump's legal team in September 2021, after having previously worked at a small law firm in New Jersey.

“In Michigan, in particular with the Chaldean community, my community, we can flip this state and we have to do it or we will lose our country,” Ms Habba said at the Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield, Michigan, during a reception that was chaired by members of the Chaldean community on Friday.

Michigan's tight-knit Chaldean community is devout and social issues, such as abortion and opposing gay marriage, are important for many during the elections.

“I want to say something to us as Chaldeans, as Christians, as people who truly believe in God, believe in our faith, believe in the importance of family values. You have no option other than president Trump in November if you care about your children and this country, that is the truth,” Ms Habba said.

Ms Habba (left) and Lara Trump ahead of Mr Trump's debate in Pennsylvania against Ms Harris. AFP

Michigan also has an Arab American population of more than 200,000 people. In previous elections, these voters have favoured the Democrats, but this year many are unmotivated to back either candidate given the Biden administration's support of Israel as it attacks Gaza, and Mr Trump's past Islamophobic policies such as a travel ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority nations.

Ms Habba discussed her faith and roots with members of the community while trying to sway voters.

“We have to represent and re-elect Donald Trump for the 47th president and that is because of the journey that my family took for me to have a life here,” she said. “If we do not protect it, we will not have a country any different than the ones we have fled, the ones that we left, where your voices don't matter and voting doesn't matter.”

She discussed the Chaldean vote during the last election stating it was not strong enough.

“We have control for once in our lives, unlike where we left, we have a lot of control right now in America, and don't undervalue your vote. It is so critical … Our voices matter as Chaldeans,” she said.

The event was also attended by Republican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for US president before dropping out and endorsing Mr Trump.

Chaldeans in Metro Detroit are known for their strong entrepreneurial spirit and contribute more than $18 billion annually to the state's economy.

In a social media post, Mr Ramaswamy described Chaldeans as, “intensely entrepreneurial and wildly successful”.

The history of Chaldeans dates back more than 5,000 years to Mesopotamia, which many consider to be the cradle of civilisation.

Most Chaldeans do not identify as Arabs because they are indigenous people of Iraq and speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, which is dying out. Many left Iraq as they faced widespread discrimination and persecution.

From 1.5 million Christians before 2003, there are less than 250,000 Christians in Iraq today. In 2014 alone, 700,000 of the roughly million Assyrian and Chaldeans in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains fled their homes as ISIS carved a path through the country.

On Thursday, Ms Habba attended another event nearby with members of the Chaldean community in Farmington Hills, Michigan, at Steven Lelli's Inn On the Green.

Mr Trump will be campaigning in Michigan on Tuesday, where he will hold a town-hall meeting in Flint. Ms Habba promised the community she will be back in the state again. “I will be back, and I am going to drag you all to vote in November, whether you like it or not,” she said.