Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, who made international headlines last fall by endorsing Donald Trump, now finds himself at the center of controversy for standing by that decision despite the president’s recent proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza.
Outlined by Trump last week, the plan would block Palestinians from returning to Gaza if it is taken over and redeveloped under U.S. oversight. The proposal would deny Palestinians a home, even as they continue to struggle for survival, Trump said Monday morning in an interview on Fox News.
The forced displacement would sever Palestinians from their ancestral lands, erasing their culture and historical ties to the region.
As a Muslim born in Yemen, it might seem natural to assume Mayor Amer Ghalib would reconsider his support for Trump. But he hasn’t.
The city’s first Muslim mayor issued a lengthy response on Facebook on Friday defending his endorsement of Trump, while acknowledging his opposition to the president’s Gaza proposal.
“Yes, I disagree with the president on the idea of evacuating indigenous people of Gaza from their homeland,” Ghalib wrote. “But I still support him for many other reasons, and I don’t regret supporting him in the election.”
His defense prompted backlash from critics who pointed out the contradictions of his position. How could Ghalib, who frequently claims to support Palestinians, endorse a politician who openly advocates for policies that would harm them? Last year, Hamtramck even renamed a street “Palestinian Avenue” in a show of solidarity.
Ghalib’s priorities seem to align more with conservative social issues than with the well-being of two million Palestinians chased from their homes. Both he and Trump have a history of using anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, and Ghalib appears more occupied with social conservatism than human rights in Gaza.
In defending his support of Trump, Ghalib made the debatable claim that Trump stopped the war in Gaza while then-President Joe Biden “failed” to. The reality is far more complex. Although some argue that Trump’s backchannel negotiations helped secure a ceasefire, it was Biden’s administration that finalized the deal. The truth lies somewhere in between, but Ghalib’s revisionist take ignores the critical role Biden’s team played in securing peace. (And that ceasefire could prove to be fragile, with news Monday that the ceasefire truce was already breaking down.)
Ghalib’s endorsement of Trump raised eyebrows from the start. In September, Ghalib described Trump as “a man of principles” and dismissed the Republican’s history of Islamophobic policies, including the infamous travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries, one of which was Yemen, Ghalib’s birthplace.
At the time, Ghalib was already building alliances with Michigan Republicans, appearing on right-wing podcasts and participating in meetings with former Trump officials, including Michael Flynn, who once called Islam “a cancer.” Ghalib portrayed these engagements as efforts to “build bridges” and “focus on what unites us,” but many in his community feel betrayed.
In a Facebook post on Jan. 23, Ghalib thanks Trump for an executive order stating that the federal government will now recognize only two sexes, male and female.
Responding to Ghalib’s latest social media post, constituents and activists accused the mayor of abandoning Palestinian and Muslim causes in favor of political expediency.
“This is beyond embarrassing," resident Ali Almurtada wrote. “You were conned and you can’t be honest enough to admit it to your constituents.”
Isaac Fast added, “When you endorse a candidate, and vote for said candidate, you cannot divorce the things you don’t like from the things that you do. It’s like saying, ‘I don’t approve of the Holocaust, but dang, I will pay anything for one of those Führer’s paintings.’”
Others expressed disbelief that Ghalib would still support Trump after his proposed Gaza plan.
“I am saddened by your arrogance in needing to be right instead of needing to be right for Gaza and America,” Heidi Konkler-Goldsmith wrote. “You sold both out.”
Other constituents expressed support for Ghalib’s position.
“There are a lot of closed-minded folks that are there just to seek attention and should be completely ignored,” Abdul Yaffai, an electrical engineer, wrote. “Please continue your excellent work; we commend your achievements.”
Ultimately, Ghalib’s decision to stick by Trump appears rooted in a shared fear of progressive social changes, particularly LGBTQ+ rights. In 2021, Ghalib helped lead efforts to ban the Pride Flag from city property in Hamtramck and described LGBTQ+ activists as a “militia.”
He has since courted socially conservative Republicans, arguing that Muslims and the GOP share similar values on faith, family, and freedom.
But the alliance comes at a steep cost. By standing by Trump, Ghalib risks alienating a significant portion of his base while legitimizing a politician who has repeatedly shown disdain for Muslims and Palestinians.
