Politics

The problem with Trump’s pitch to Muslim and Arab American voters

Published

2 years ago

November 11, 2024

The problem with Trump’s pitch to Muslim and Arab American voters

Donald Trump wants to win an election, which means he’s reaching out to voters who might be skeptical of him, his record and his vision. It’s an enormous challenge: The Republican president effectively has to target communities by saying, “Vote for me despite everything you already know about me.”

With this in mind, Trump is targeting Black voters, hoping they overlook his lengthy history of racism. He’s targeting Latino voters, hoping they overlook the dehumanizing language he has used to condemn Latino immigrants, as well as his plans for militarized mass deportations and detention camps in a possible second term.

The GOP candidate’s outreach to Muslim and Arab American voters is every bit as difficult. The New York Times reported:

[I]n a tight election, Mr. Trump and his campaign have been trying to win the support of Arab American and Muslim voters who may be disaffected with Democrats over President Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza and the party’s positions on social issues. Their support is seen as especially important in Michigan, a key battleground state with many Arab American and Muslim voters.

A day before the Times’ report was published, The Washington Post published a related article, noting that Trump has “expressed support for Israel’s offensives against Hamas and Hezbollah in a recent call with the country’s prime minister — a position that could complicate his campaign’s outreach to Arab Americans claiming he opposes the war.”

“Complicate” probably understates matters.

It is no secret that many Muslim and Arab American voters reject the Biden administration’s position toward Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing military offensive. Common sense suggests that many of those same voters might be willing to give the GOP ticket a second look.

But while no community ever finds it satisfying to be told, “Well, the other guys are worse,” the fact remains that from the perspective of many Muslim and Arab American voters, Trump isn’t exactly closer to their views when it comes to developments in the Middle East.

On the contrary, according to the Post’s report, which cited six sources, Trump told Netanyahu in one call this month, “Do what you have to do.” In public, the Republican has gone even further, suggesting that Biden is making a mistake by “trying to hold him [Netanyahu] back.”

In other words, while many Muslim and Arab American voters want to see the White House take steps to curtail Netanyahu, Trump wants the opposite.

Meanwhile, the Republican candidate has also begun using “Palestinian” as a slur; he has condemned pro-Palestinian protests; and he has rejected the idea of bringing Gaza residents to the United States as refugees.

In case that weren’t quite enough, Trump hasn’t just bragged about his Muslim ban, he has announced plans to expand it.

Given all of this, is it realistic to think the GOP nominee can make inroads with Muslim and Arab American voters? We’ll find out next week.

Steve Benen

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an BLN political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”

Politics

Cruz and Blackburn meet Trump to discuss tech policy

Published

6 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

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Politics

South Carolina Senate poll shows surprising frontrunner: Trey Gowdy

Published

7 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Former Rep. Trey Gowdy insists he’s not interested in running in the South Carolina special election. But a new poll suggests Gowdy would be formidable if he changed his mind.

Gowdy holds a massive lead over seven other potential and declared GOP candidates for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat, according to a poll from Republican-aligned firm Peak Insights that was obtained by POLITICO.

Gowdy draws 38 percent of the vote. The actual candidates in the race are bunched closely, with no clear frontrunner: Rep. Ralph Norman trails at 13 percent support, followed closely by both Rep. Russell Fry and Sen. Darline Graham, Lindsey’s sister who is running for a full term after being appointed, who both sit at 9 percent. Businessman Mark Lynch, a self-funder who lost a Senate primary to Graham last summer, pulls 7 percent support. The survey of 900 likely GOP primary voters for South Carolina’s special election was conducted before anyone formally entered the contest.

The election will be a test of Trump’s power. He endorsed Darline Graham last week, but that hasn’t stopped other prominent South Carolina Republicans from jumping in the race, all of them touting their loyalty to the president — despite not having his formal support.

And at least according to the poll, his endorsement doesn’t shift things much. When respondents are informed that Trump “asked Darline Graham Nordone to run in the special election for U.S. Senate, saying if she runs, she has his complete and total endorsement,” Graham’s support improves from 9 percent to 16 percent, and Gowdy falls from 38 percent to 35 percent.

The poll is a sign of why some prominent Republicans — like his longtime friend, Sen. Tim Scott — may want Gowdy in the race. Peak Insights has polled for Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, as well as the NRSC and the Republican National Committee among many others.

Gowdy left the U.S. House in 2019 and now hosts a show on Fox News. Through a spokesperson, he said he “has not had any conversations about the open senate seat and does not have any interest in it.”

That hasn’t stopped Scott from pushing his longtime buddy to run. Scott advocated for Gowdy to be appointed to the vacant Senate seat after Lindsey Graham’s death, before South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to the seat. Scott announced last week he was recruiting Gowdy to run in the special election, before Graham announced she would run.

“I can’t think of a better person that I think best represents the heart of South Carolina than Trey Gowdy,” said Scott during a press conference Wednesday. “I’m trying to get him interested in it, but we’ll see if that works out at all.”

Scott and the NRSC have not yet issued an endorsement in the special election. Scott praised Graham during a Fox News interview Monday, saying she is “strong so far, calm under pressure, and really poised.”