Residents of Dearborn, Michigan, home to the largest Arab American community in the U.S., had a lot to say about the Middle East politics during the 2024 presidential campaign. However, after President Donald Trump’s surprising announcement on Tuesday about his plan to remove Palestinians from Gaza and impose a U.S. takeover in the region, some community leaders are adopting a more cautious approach.
Imad Hamad, executive director of the American Human Rights Council in Dearborn, said that many in the community are still processing the news. “People are taking a deep breath. It’s too early to render a judgment. But definitely, the past two or three weeks feel unbelievable,” he said. He also noted that some residents are questioning their support for Trump, with concerns about the future of the 2026 elections.
While there’s still strong criticism of the Democrats, some residents are struggling to come to terms with Trump’s bold plan to transform Gaza into what he called the “Riviera of the Middle East,” potentially involving U.S. military intervention.
On Wednesday, President Trump’s top diplomat and main spokesperson retracted his suggestion that Palestinians should be permanently relocated from Gaza. This came after the proposal faced backlash from American allies and even some Republican lawmakers, who rejected his idea that the U.S. should take “ownership” of the territory.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that President Trump’s suggestion was to temporarily relocate about 1.8 million Gazans to allow for reconstruction, not a permanent move. However, this proposal has still faced significant criticism, particularly in the Arab world.
Although no large protests were planned in the Detroit area following Trump’s comments, local community leaders—many of whom had not supported Vice President Harris or endorsed Trump—responded more strongly, expressing their concerns.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents Dearborn and is the only Palestinian American in Congress, strongly condemned Trump’s remarks, calling them “fanatical bullsh—” and asserting that “Palestinians aren’t going anywhere.” Dearborn’s Mayor Abdullah Hammoud also criticized Trump’s comments, labeling them “yet another chapter in the ongoing genocide.”
Trump made history by becoming the first Republican presidential candidate in over twenty years to win Dearborn, where nearly half of the city’s 110,000 residents are Arab American. His victory came after he became the only major presidential candidate to visit the Detroit suburb on Nov. 1, where he promised to bring “peace in the Middle East” at a local restaurant.
Faye Nemer, founder of the Dearborn-based MENA (Middle Eastern North African) American Chamber of Commerce, had welcomed Trump during his Nov. 1 visit but voiced concern over some of his comments about the Middle East. Nemer stated on Wednesday that his recent remarks have been “extremely, extremely concerning to the community,” adding that in just two weeks in office, he has made several extreme statements.
Faye Nemer suggested that Trump’s comments might be a “negotiating tactic” and urged the president to continue pushing for a two-state solution. She recalled that Trump had expressed support for such a solution if it aligned with Palestinian desires, and now she hopes the president and his administration will remain committed to those principles.
After Trump’s joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, some have distanced themselves from the president. During the event, Trump proposed that the U.S. take “ownership” of redeveloping Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Rola Makki, a Lebanese American and the Muslim vice chair for outreach of the Michigan Republican Party, expressed her disagreement with Trump’s recent stance on Gaza. Although she had supported Trump in the previous election, she stated in a statement to The Associated Press that she believes the U.S. should adopt a more hands-off approach in the Middle East, focusing on diplomacy and avoiding further entanglement. Makki pointed out that this was the approach Trump took during his previous presidency and argued that it was more effective.
A group that was previously known as Arab Americans for Trump, which played a significant role in Trump’s outreach to the Arab American community, particularly in Dearborn, has changed its name to Arab Americans for Peace following Trump’s comments on Tuesday. In a statement, the group expressed its disagreement with the president’s suggestion to take control of Gaza and criticized him for not meeting with key Arab leaders, including the Palestinian president, to understand their perspectives.
However, some of Trump’s strong Arab American supporters from the campaign trail chose to remain silent on Wednesday. Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi, both Democratic mayors of Michigan cities with large Arab and Muslim populations who had endorsed Trump and appeared with him on stage, did not respond to requests for comment via calls or text messages.