Former President Donald Trump received endorsements from several Muslim community leaders during a campaign rally in Novi, Michigan on Saturday, highlighting his growing support among Muslim Americans in this battleground state, according to Fox News. "I'm thrilled to accept the endorsement of these highly respected leaders," Trump told an enthusiastic crowd at the Suburban Collection Showplace at 2 p.m.
Imam Belal Alzuhairi, one of the leaders who appeared onstage with Trump, expressed strong support for the former president's foreign policy stance. "We, as Muslims, stand with President Trump because he promises peace, not war!" Alzuhairi declared. He further elaborated, "We are supporting Donald Trump because he promised to end war in the Middle East and Ukraine. The bloodshed has to stop all over the world, and I think this man can make that happen. I personally believe that God saved his life twice for a reason."
The endorsements included support from Mayor Bill Bazzi, who holds the distinction of being the first Muslim and Arab American elected mayor of Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Following Bazzi's remarks, Trump responded warmly, saying, "What a nice endorsement. These are great people." Adding to the wave of support, Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib publicly endorsed Trump through a Facebook post on October 20. "Though it's looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time," Ghalib wrote in Arabic on his social media platform.
Ghalib's endorsement followed a private 20-minute meeting with Trump in Flint earlier in the week. In an interview with The Detroit News, Ghalib revealed, "We talked about various topics including the debates, the polls updates, the statistics of votes in Michigan and Wayne County, the Arab American concerns, and the Yemeni Americans in particular. We also talked about the situation in Yemen." Michigan's significance as a swing state is underscored by record-breaking early voting numbers, with the Michigan Department of State's dashboard showing over 1.2 million voters having already cast their ballots through early voting and mail-in options, setting a new state record for early ballot returns.
