Ali Al-Falajara, a Baghdad-born real estate agent from Dearborn, Michigan, usually votes Democratic, but this election was different.
“If 50,000 Palestinians dying under rubble isn’t enough to sway me from the Democratic Party, I don’t know what is,” Afalahara said.
More than half of Dearborn’s population is Middle Eastern or North African. In Wayne County, which includes the inner ring suburbs and Detroit, nearly 8% of the population is Arab American, the highest percentage in the United States.
Last November, a majority of all but the top voters voted for Democrats. President Trump visits Dearborn I was looking for a vote and it worked. He won the city; occupied michigan It was a stunning reversal for Democrats.
“Voters here were deeply unimpressed with Kamala Harris and appalled by the Biden administration,” said Diana Abu-Ali, director of the National Museum of Arab America.
In Dearborn, Mr. Trump received 42% of the vote and Ms. Harris received 36%. According to Detroit Public Radio, Green Party and pro-ceasefire candidate Jill Stein received 18% of the vote, more than anywhere else in Michigan.
Abu-Ali said the results showed how angry Dearborn was with the Biden-Harris White House, primarily over its support for Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. The community voted for Trump despite the president’s past actions. Ban on travel from some Muslim-majority countries and worried about his proposal deport millions of immigrants.
“For some reason, they felt that Trump was their candidate,” Abu-Ali said, adding that “Arab Americans, like most Americans, have very short-term memories.” he added.
Palestinian stand-up comedian Amer Zaar refused to vote for Harris.
Asked if he voted out of anger, Saar said: “Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. The most important thing is that they lost, to show that we were there.” I answered.
Now, Saar says what happens next in the new movie trump era It’s worth the risk.
“We understand that…anyone who harbors any illusions that Donald Trump will bring anything good for certain interests in our community is lying to themselves. “I think we’re looking at it,” Saar said.
Al-Falajara recognizes the potential risks of having President Trump in office again, but he is also hopeful.
“I have a house here. You know, I have a business. I pay taxes. Am I going to be deported?” Al-Falajara said.
He hopes the American dream he sells as a real estate agent is the same one his community continues to live by.
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