As the countdown to the election enters its final stages, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump made campaign stops in Michigan on Friday, October 18, actively seeking the support of Arab-American voters. Currently, the overall polling gap between the two candidates remains within the margin of error, making it difficult to determine a clear frontrunner.
During Friday’s events, Hillary Clinton made a rare mention of the conflict between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah, urging all parties to seize the opportunity in the current situation to end the war and bring the hostages safely back.
Hillary Clinton pointed out, “Considering the death toll in Gaza, the scale of destruction, and the injuries and displacement of civilians in Lebanon, the current situation is very difficult.” She emphasized that now is the time to “end the suffering in the Middle East” and that the death of Yahya Sinwar, the top leader of Hamas, “can and must be a turning point in the situation.”
She said, “Everyone must seize this opportunity to ultimately end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home, and completely end this suffering.”
Hillary Clinton also highlighted the support she has garnered in Arab-American communities.
On Friday, 52 Lebanese-American citizens expressed their support for Hillary Clinton and her running mate Tim Walz in a letter, calling for an end to the war in Gaza. They also praised the recent decision by the Department of Homeland Security to extend temporary legal status for Lebanese citizens in the United States.
At the same time, Donald Trump visited the city of Hamtramck, with the highest Muslim population in Michigan, to tour his new campaign office, but he did not mention any specific plans regarding the Middle East.
Democratic Mayor Amer Ghalib also attended the event and presented Trump with a certificate of appreciation.
Ghalib said, “His (Trump’s) visit today is to show respect and gratitude to our community.”
When asked about his thoughts on the mayor’s support, Trump said, “To be honest, it’s an honor. I have received a lot of support, much of it from Arab-American citizens.”
Since April, Trump has held 15 different events in Michigan, while Hillary Clinton has visited the state 11 times.
When asked about the news of Hamas leader Sinwar’s death, Trump said, “He is not a good person. That’s my reaction.” Sinwar was the mastermind behind Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2022, and he was killed in a conflict with the Israeli military on Wednesday.
Trump had previously stated that during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in July, he had already called on him to quickly end Israel’s war in Gaza.
In this year’s election, Michigan is considered a key state that will determine the outcome of the election on November 5. The state stands out for its significant Arab-American population. In the 2020 presidential election, Biden narrowly defeated Trump in Michigan by less than 3 percentage points, but local residents were disappointed by Biden’s support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza following the “Gaza war.”