Mayor Amer Ghalib of Hamtramck, Michigan, announced Sunday that he will support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Ghalib, a Democrat who heads the all-Muslim city council, Facebook Post He said he “doesn't regret” his decision to support former President Trump because he believes the president is “the right choice at this critical time.”
“While President Trump and I do not agree on everything, I know him to be a man of principle,” Ghalib wrote.
“Things look good, but I don't know if he will win the election and become the 47th President of the United States. But I believe he is the right choice at this critical juncture,” Ghalib continued. “Whatever the outcome, I will not regret my decision and I am ready to face the consequences.”
Trump reposted his statement on Truth Social, celebrating the Hamtramck mayor's endorsement.
President Trump met privately for 20 minutes with Ghalib at the Dort Financial Center on Tuesday night, after which Ghalib addressed a crowd at a campaign rally. According to To the Detroit News.
Ghalib told the outlet in a text message on Wednesday that Trump demonstrated a deep knowledge of him during the meeting, which he said was set up by a “very close” member of the Trump campaign.
The outlet reported that Ghalib said Trump explicitly asked for his support before the two discussed how to reach that conclusion. Ghalib, who immigrated to the United States from Yemen, was elected mayor of Hamtramck in 2021, a city that is more than 40% foreign-born, according to U.S. Census data.
The Hamtramck mayor added that he discussed several topics with Trump, including “the debate, poll updates, voting statistics in Michigan and Wayne County, and the concerns of Arab Americans, particularly Yemeni Americans.”
Michigan is one of three battleground states that make up the “Blue Wall” — the most crucial state for a presidential candidate to win the White House — where Trump is trailing Vice President Kamala Harris by 1.7 percentage points. According to RealClearPolitics average as of Sunday. (RELATED: Kamala Harris reportedly breaks tradition and skips Catholic charity dinner)
Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib called on voters in her home state to “vote independent” and not vote for Biden ahead of the 2024 Democratic primary in light of the Biden-Harris administration's stance on Israel. The movement garnered more than 100,000 protest votes, which helped Biden win the state by more than 618,000 votes and secure the state's two “independent” delegates, according to the Associated Press. Reported.
In 2020, President Joe Biden had a 2.8% increase. Vote He's outperforming Trump in Michigan. Wayne County, where Hamtramck is located, Voted In 2020, 68.4% approved of Biden.
Other blue wall states include Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Harris is ahead of Trump in the RealClearPolitics polling average. Pennsylvania 0.7% increase, Wisconsin It was up 1.0% as of Sunday.
