Trump was last hope for Gaza, Dearborn residents say, as they fend off election criticism

Donald Trump won more than 40 per cent of the vote in the Arab-majority city in Michigan

Four days before the US election, presidential candidate Donald Trump made a surprise, last-minute visit to a popular restaurant in downtown Dearborn, Michigan.

The visit, during which Mr Trump was given gifts, signed "Make America Great Again" hats and posed for pictures with locals, was the first by a presidential candidate to the majority Arab-American city.

It energised many voters who were outraged over Kamala Harris and Joe Biden’s policies on Gaza and the Middle East. But it also angered many residents, who stopped frequenting the business and began leaving bad reviews. Many employees were upset.

Less than three weeks later, the owners announced that they would be selling the restaurant.

Mural in Dearborn, Michigan. Ahmed Issawy / The National

“Everyone knows that business and politics don’t mix,” Jimmy Chammout, the cafe's new owner, tells The National. He said that while there was some support for the visit, there was a large loss of business. He hopes having new management and a new menu will bring diners back.

The events at The Great Commoner cafe can be viewed as a microcosm of the atmosphere in Dearborn, the capital of Arab America, weeks after Mr Trump took office for the second time.

“There is absolutely a level of contention between those who supported Trump and those that voted for Harris, and even the ones that didn’t,” says Samra Luqman, a community activist and Trump supporter.

“When Trump makes a statement, the people that supported him are getting backlash for it, as if we're responsible for everything he says and does. And at the same time, there is still an ostracisation of those who supported Harris.”

Samra Luqman, a Michigan-based activist, says she will continue to support Donald Trump. Ahmed Issawy / The National

Republican Mr Trump won 43 per cent of the vote in Dearborn, home to the nation’s largest concentration of Arab Americans, and a city that had traditionally been a Democratic stronghold.

A day before Mr Trump took office, the ceasefire in Gaza was announced, bringing with it a sense of relief and some validation to Dearborn.

But in the weeks since, the President, who campaigned on promises to bring peace to the Middle East, has said he plans to take over Gaza and permanently relocate nearly two million Palestinians to neighbouring countries. He also signed an executive order that could revive the so-called Muslim travel ban and said he would crack down on pro-Palestinian protests.

"When we voted for Trump, it wasn't because we liked him; it was because of the war that was happening in Gaza," Ibrahim Tamimi, a Palestinian American who lives outside Dearborn, tells The National.

On the night of the election, Mr Tamimi attended the main celebration of the pro-Trump group of Arab Americans at a shisha shop in Dearborn. He said he knew that if Ms Harris were to win, the war and the horrifying daily images coming out of Gaza would continue.

Arab-American voters in Michigan express dissatisfaction with Democratic administration on election day

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"He was just the last hope. He said he's going to come and stop the war, but we knew from the past how he was, how he banned Muslims," Mr Tamimi said. "And the war did stop. It was a relief."

Mustapha Hammoud, a Dearborn city councilman who did not vote for Mr Trump, says he was not surprised when he heard of the Gaza takeover plans, referring to his statements before he won the election in which he said he intended to "finish the job".

"I don't know what anyone else was expecting. Anybody who's political knew that this was going to happen," Mr Hammoud told The National. "The question is, are people on the ground feeling different? I still have not spoken personally to one Trump supporter who says they regret their vote yet."

Hussein Dabajah, a resident of nearby city of Dearborn Heights who did not vote for Mr Trump, also says he has not heard anyone say they regret voting for him, and some are saying that his comments on Gaza are a ploy to pressure Israel or urge Arab states to act.

"They say Donald Trump is only saying this because he's going to use this to negotiate a better deal for Palestinians. Whatever," he says.

Ms Luqman says she still attends regularly meetings with the President’s team, including with Ric Grenell, Mr Trump's surrogate during the campaign charged with relations with Arab and Muslim Americans.

Although she finds Mr Trump’s statements on Gaza “horrifying”, she hopes he will rethink his position and that the Arab-American community can use its political power to advance its causes.

A spray-painted sign in Dearborn. Ahmed Issawy / The National

Ms Luqman says she has received several calls from people in tears, questioning their decision to vote for Mr Trump.

Arab Americans for Trump, a group that helped the President to lobby in the community, recently condemned the Gaza plans and changed the group name to Arab Americans for Peace.

Last Monday, the group issued a statement urging the Trump administration to do more to stop Israel from halting the entry of aid to Gaza.

"The name change was not really a declaration of war," Bishara Bahbah, chairman of Arab Americans for Peace, tells The National. "I believe Trump at least partially fulfilled his initial promise of stopping the war in Gaza. So far, we've saved thousands of civilians' lives because of the ceasefire."

Residents in Dearborn say despite anger over Mr Trump's statements, there is still little evidence that Ms Harris, who had very little contact with the community, would have been the better choice.

Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based, Arabic-English weekly newspaper The Arab American News, did not endorse a candidate this election, nor did the city’s Democratic mayor or its congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib. About 18 per cent of Dearborn residents voted for a third-party candidate.

Mr Siblani says he gets almost daily emails, phone calls and voice messages from people who say Arab and Muslim Americans "deserve" what Mr Trump is doing.

“I don't think anybody is defending Trump right now," he tells The National. "Some people may defend why they voted for him because they thought that he would be a peacemaker. Others say the choices were bad.

“Some other people were just fooled by Trump’s promises to bring peace to the Middle East, and by his reaching out to the community, culminating with his visit to Dearborn.”