US Elections 2024: Plagued by the violence in the Middle East, Lebanese Americans living in America are disenchanted with the Democrat Party. Soujoud Hamade, a Lebanese American, supported Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the US presidential election. The 32-year-old Lebanese-American real estate lawyer cast his vote Tuesday at a school in Dearborn, the country’s largest Arab-majority city, and said that every time he watches the news he sees his people being destroyed.
Soujoud Hamade said, “I watch my country being destroyed on the news and am disappointed by the Joe Biden-Harris administration’s unwavering support for Israel.” He says he is clear about the two-sided nature of the race between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.
Had previously supported Joe Biden
The Detroit suburb of Dearborn is best known as the birthplace of Henry Ford and the head office of the Ford Motor Company. It has a population of approximately 110,000, with 55 percent of residents claiming Middle Eastern or North African heritage. The people of this city overwhelmingly supported President Joe Biden in 2020, which helped him win Michigan Blue, but this time the polling shows that Muslims and Arab-Americans are moving away from the Democratic Party.< /p>
Jill Stein has been a spoiler for Harris
Jewish physician and Green Party candidate Jill Stein is projected to do well among Muslims, as well as progressive and young voters nationwide – potentially acting as a spoiler for Kamala Harris.
< p style="text-align: justify;">Lost confidence in Democrats
Regarding the election results, 28-year-old engineer Mohammad Hijazi said, "He is the only person who is anti-genocide, who previously voted for Democrats but has now lost faith." Arguing, he said, “Democrats have no plan to bring peace to the Middle East and they do not trust Trump to do better, yet it seems that Trump may perform better than before."
People’s trust in Trump increased because of Tiffany Trump’s husband
Trump’s outreach to Michigan’s Muslim community garnered support from the Muslim mayors of Hamtramck and Dearborn Heights, who expressed confidence in Trump because of Tiffany Trump’s husband. Trump’s daughter Tiffany’s husband is Lebanese-American. Charles Fawaz, a 29-year-old first grade teacher of Lebanese origin, said he was impressed that the former president attended. He said that when Trump was the President, everything was fine with our foreign policy because other leaders respected our country. Even if Trump doesn’t work on Middle East peace, he hopes Republicans will manage the economy better.