These Arab Americans voted for Trump. He let them down by his Gaza remark

Washington, DC — The news had barely settled before the reactions started pouring in.

Speaking over the phone, a prominent Muslim community leader in Dearborn, Michigan, told TRT World he shook his head as he scrolled through the headlines.

"Trump's plan is not real," he said. "It reads like a segment from his book — The Art of the Deal. Door and face. Smoke bomb. Throw the bomb, see what happens."

Speaking at a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump floated an audacious plan: The United States would seize control of Gaza, permanently displace its Palestinian population, and redevelop the war-torn territory. He likened his vision to turning Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East."

Describing Trump's remarks as a negotiation tactic, he noted, "He says the US will take over Gaza. What power does he have to do such a thing even temporarily? It's simply shifting the goalpost, a distraction. It's another one of his statements meant to keep everyone off balance."

While Trump's unconventional statement on Gaza set the diplomatic and political circles aflutter, it was met with swift rejection from governments across Europe, Arab world, and around the world.

Major US allies, UN spokespeople, and global rights bodies condemned the proposal.

'Displacing millions of people'

Bishara Bahbah, chairman of the group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, toldTRT World: "Yesterday, standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump remarked, 'I hope you also want peace.' Yet, in a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in November 2024, which I am privy to, Trump asked, 'What impedes peace in the Middle East?' Abbas replied, 'You know,' to which Trump answered, 'It's Netanyahu.'"

"While we acknowledge Trump's role in halting the killings and war in Gaza and brokering a ceasefire, we strongly oppose his proposal for the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in historic Palestine," Bahbah said.

His group, which played a key role in Trump's voter outreach to the Arab American community, has now been rebranded Arab Americans for Peace.

However, more than the political backlash, it is the public uproar that is forcing a reckoning for both Republicans and Democrats alike.

Abdullah Kareem, a small business owner in Michigan, who voted for Trump in the November elections, told TRT World, "You're talking about displacing millions of people —again. We ditched the Democratic Party because they weren't listening to us. But now Trump wants to decide the future of Gaza like it's a real estate deal?"

Kareem paused, frustration lacing his voice.

"We believed that someone from outside the establishment could bring change. Trump stopping the war in Gaza has our gratitude but no one must play games with the lives of survivors."

Michigan was crucial to Trump's electoral success, and the Arab and Muslim vote played a significant role in that. Yet, many who once found his rhetoric on the economy and foreign policy compelling now feel politically unsure.

In Detroit, Sarah Abadi, a first-generation Palestinian American, said she cast her vote for Trump because she believed he would challenge Washington's status quo.

"Frankly I don't know what to feel now," she admits. "You want to erase my people from their homeland, and I’m supposed to believe it's about 'rebuilding'?"

"Do you know how exhausting it is to constantly hear leaders debate your future as if you are a burden? Look I am not a politician and I don't know if Trump's words are just rhetoric but they embolden those in Israel who already see Palestinians as expendable."

Walking back on Gaza plan?

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Bilal Saeed, a young Democrat who voted for Kamala Harris, saw Trump's comments as more proof of the Republican Party's indifference to Palestine.

"Let us not forget Harris won Hamtramck despite Trump's visit. But now is not the time to score points. Democrats need to wake up, too. They've alienated many. And if they don't take this moment seriously, they'll lose more than just Michigan."

Saeed's voice carried a warning.

"If Democrats think they can coast by, assuming we will always fall in line, they are making a big mistake."

For many in the Arab and Muslim community, Trump's latest pronouncement is a stark reminder of their precarious position in American politics. With both parties failing to address their real concerns, many feel politically adrift.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration tried to walk back on his plan, noting that the US President only wants Palestinians to leave Gaza temporarily while the territory is reconstructed.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump's idea "was not meant as hostile. It was meant as, I think, a very generous move — the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding."

Trump wants to support "rebuilding homes and businesses and things of this nature, so that then people can move back in," he said.

While doubts continue to hover over the plan, a community leader in Dearborn told TRT World, "It's time for everyone to reflect. We must aim at a future built on justice."