Michigan is in play. Why else would Donald Trump visit Dearborn on Saturday? This while Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) adamantly refuses to endorse Kamala because of Harris’s refusal to kick Israel to the curb.

Heading into the final weekend of the presidential campaign, Trump made a brief stop in the heavily Arab American city of Dearborn, Michigan, where he called for an end to conflict in the Middle East but offered no specifics on how he would do so if elected to a second term.

Visiting The Great Commoner coffee shop in Dearborn, Trump used the appearance to make a pitch to voters that are angry with how the Biden administration has handled Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon.

“We have a great feeling for Lebanon and I know so many people from Lebanon, Lebanese people and the Muslim population, they’re liking Trump and they’ve had a good relationship with him,” he said. “This is it, this is where they are, Dearborn. We want their votes and we’re looking for their votes and I think we’ll get their votes.”

Of course, NPR couldn’t resist jabs at Trump’s so-called anti-Arab rhetoric by subtly reminding everyone of the “Muslim Ban” and his remarks last month in Wisconsin about illegal immigration and terrorists. With the implication being Trump is racist. The problem with that is, the “Muslim Ban” involved halting all immigration from countries that are known terrorist breeding grounds…like IRAN or even Lebanon. And, as we all know, the Biden-Harris Administration policies of non-existent borders has led to numerous suspected terrorists being caught, and an unknown number of others floating around this country. 

NPR and others also refuse to admit that the Abraham Accords have been a net positive for the Middle East on numerous levels. 

However, whether she likes it or not, Kamala has a Michigan and Muslim-American problem. 

Asked about Trump’s visit to Dearborn, Harris told reporters she had a “significant amount of support” from Arab Americans because of her position on ending the war in Gaza and her commitment to a two-state solution — and because of her positions on economic issues.

Harris has had her own struggles with Arab American voters stemming from opposition to the war in Gaza. Leaders of the “uncommitted” movement, which grew out of Democratic opposition to President Biden’s policy toward Israel and Gaza, has said it would not endorse Harris for president, but it has urged supporters to “vote against” Trump. Harris’ rallies are often interrupted by protesters upset about the war in Gaza.

We’ve been repeatedly assured that Kamala’s Ellipse speech was the greatest speech of all time. Tell that to the pro-Gaza supporters in the crowd. 

Pro-Palestinian protestors call for intifada in the street following Kamala's speech at the Ellipse.

Footage by @HannahNighting pic.twitter.com/QWKkrYNxf1

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 30, 2024

Furthermore, she’s been interrupted by protestors during multiple speeches in the last ten days. The vast majority of whom are advocates for Palestine and Hamas. 

https://twitter.com/LorysStory/status/1850298569284083895

Keep in mind, as NPR noted above, Kamala continues to claim she has great support from Arab-Americans around the U.S. and in Michigan. Except that Rashida Tlaib is a very vocal holdout. 

At the UAW gathering later in the day, Tlaib steered clear of supporting the top of the ticket and instead encouraged the hundreds of union members not to just get out and vote, but to encourage friends and family to do so as well.

~Snip

She focused her speech to UAW members on down ballot races, specifically the judicial races, voicing support for Democratic-nominated Michigan Supreme Court candidates Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberley Thomas in their respective races against Republicans Patrick O’Grady and Andrew Fink.

Of the far-left Squad, Tlaib is the only one who refuses to endorse Kamala Harris. And Tlaib has her supporters. Is it enough to move the needle against Kamala? We’ll know on Tuesday. 

Yes, Michigan is in play in interesting ways this election cycle. A prominent Muslim-American Mayor in Michigan has endorsed President Trump over Kamala Harris. Hamtramck is a Detroit area suburb, so Mayor Amer Ghalib’s endorsement resonates. Particularly since it’s been pointed out that the Harris campaign has essentially taken the Muslim vote for granted, and has done little to no outreach to the community. 

Kamala holds rallies in Michigan. Trump holds rallies AND visits a local Dearborn business. 

What’s very telling is that Trump’s visit to a Lebanese coffee shop in Dearborn is an ad in and of itself. What does Kamala plan instead? An ad campaign that completely straddles the fence regarding Gaza.

NEW: Our report tonight on @OutFrontCNN — The Harris campaign is targeting Jews in PA and Arabs in Michigan with entirely different messages on Gaza. PA ads highlight her support for Israel's "ability to defend itself," while Michigan ads say "she will not be silent" on Gaza. pic.twitter.com/tLg8gJ0mLE

— Andy Kaczynski (@KFILE) November 2, 2024

The hypocrisy here is astounding. Do they not realize that Rashida Tlaib will notice the pandering and let her supporters know of it? Does the Harris-Walz campaign not realize that this kind of fence straddling is another reason why her campaign is flailing so hard? 

Why is she only including the parts about how devoted she is to Israel in her ads aimed at Jewish voters and leaving out her concern about Gazans in those ads, then doing exactly the opposite in the ads directed at Muslims and Arabs?

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 1, 2024

At this point, it looks like Kamala and her campaign are throwing everything at the wall, no matter how shamelessly pandering it is, and hoping it will stick, yet still can’t manage to get key endorsements. Meanwhile, Trump continues to run the same campaign he’s run from the very start. 

Trump just stopped by an Arab owned restaurant in Dearborn, MI, the largest city in the US w/ a majority Arab population. He’s the first candidate to come here this cycle, and I asked him why Dearborn? He said he’s building inroads w/ Lebanese & Muslims. Got warm reception here. pic.twitter.com/10QJ1MP64y

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 1, 2024

It’s definitely interesting to watch!

Feature Photo Credit: composite of Donald Trump (Gage Skidmore Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license) and Kamala Harris (Public Domain via White House)