Trump's failed bid to elevate an Arab American ally shows cracks in his political coalition
https://apnews.com/article/trump-michigan-gaza-amer-ghalib-arab-americans-703621a99b5fdb89b84c34f3b8070bf1
Trumps failed bid to elevate an Arab American ally shows cracks in his political coalition
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
Updated 6:57 AM CST, February 1, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) When Donald Trump won his comeback campaign, he credited the mayor of a small Detroit suburb with helping him make inroads with Michigans Arab American community. As a reward, Trump nominated Amer Ghalib to serve as U.S. ambassador to Kuwait.
But Ghalib is not on his way to the oil-rich nation in the Persian Gulf. Instead, he is still in Hamtramck, population 30,000, after his nomination stalled because of opposition from Trumps fellow Republicans.
Its not clear whether the White House will submit Ghalibs name again, and he said it does not matter either way: Im not interested in it anymore.
The nominations unraveling has exacerbated tensions between Republicans and an Arab American community that, dissatisfied with Democratic President Joe Bidens handling of the war in Gaza, helped send Trump back to the White House. Although Trump was successful in 2024, a key constituency may not be there for his party in the November midterm elections, when control of Congress is up for grabs.
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