HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A city known for its large immigrant population, Hamtramck is reportedly the first Muslim-majority city in the United States and also made headlines as the first city with an all Muslim city council. Some in the community are now expressing shock that the Democratic mayor is officially endorsing former President Donald Trump.
Inside one of Hamtramck’s popular coffee shops, we met residents like Adam DePollo, who just learned their mayor, Amer Ghalib, is endorsing Trump.
“In some ways, I'm not surprised," DePollo said. "On the other hand, it is shocking.”
Ghalib, an immigrant from Yemen, became the city’s first Muslim mayor when he was elected in 2021. While in office, the city made headlines banning pride flags from being flown on city property, which is something DePollo says didn't sit well with liberal voters in the city.
“I think more liberal folks in Hamtramck didn't vote for him in the first place, so it probably won't change their minds," DePollo said of the endorsement.
Zakaria Ghaleb is a 28-year-old Yemeni immigrant who came to Hamtramck 14 years ago. He said he won't be voting for either candidate, but he remembers when Trump issued a travel ban to seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen.
“In his first term when he (Trump) banned immigration from Yemen, I'm from Yemen. The mayor’s from Yemen, so I was surprised he (mayor) was endorsing Trump,” Ghaleb said.
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Then you have other residents like Farhan Alnajar, a small business owner who has lived in Hamtramck since 2000. He says as a Muslim, he was afraid of a Trump presidency back in 2016. Now, for the first time, he plans to vote for Trump in November.
“I was afraid because of his speech, you know?" Alnajar said. “I even posted a small video on Facebook saying 'If Trump wins, I will leave the country.' I'm glad I didn't. It was one of my best years.”
Alnajar said he likes how Trump is in favor of school of choice and religious freedom when it comes to schools. He also supports Trump because he says it will lead to lower taxes.
"The most important thing is cut the taxes," Alnajar said. "I know to me as a small business owner, it's not going to be that much, but it’s going to help.”
Our Carolyn Clifford spoke to Ghalib to hear why he’s supporting Trump.
“There was a major disconnect between us and the Republican Party. I think this has to come to an end,” Ghalib said. "We have high hopes he will end the chaos in the Middle East like he said.”
Watch Carolyn Clifford's interview with Ghalib in the video below:
Ghalib has been a vocal critic of Israel over its war in Gaza, and the Hamtramck City Council passed a resolution to divest from Israel and to not support companies associated with the country.
Ghalib also joined a group of fellow Democrats who signed a letter in February vowing to vote uncommitted during the primary. After expressing frustration with the Biden and Harris administration, Ghalib now believes Trump could help reach a ceasefire.
Ghalib says he's been in contact with Trump campaign officials for weeks and requested a meeting with Trump. The two met in person before Trump's rally last week in Flint.
“We led and supported the uncommitted movement for a reason because of his (Biden's) foreign policy, how he is handling the situation in the Middle East," Ghalib said. "We asked multiple times that they should change course but nothing happened. Kamala Harris is still going in the same path and nothing was addressed. We didn't see any change.”
While the mayor is throwing his support behind Trump, it’s still a guessing game where the rest of the city will stand in November.
"Personally, I would be very surprised if he (Trump) wins the election here," DePollo said. "That’d be very shocking.”
"I think they will follow Amer Ghalib because they had very good living time under Trump," Alnajar said of Hamtramck citizens. “I don't think they should focus more on the international issues; they should focus on their local issues first.”
“They are voting Trump because of the domestic policy for here at home,” Ghaleb said of Trump supporters he knows within the Yemeni community. “Gas was cheap, groceries were cheap... the reaction is they were doing good economically under Trump and they're fed up with this open border under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
Ghalib also said he officially invited Trump to hold a rally in Hamtramck and he even discussed opening a Trump campaign office in the city.
We reached out to the Michigan Democratic Party Monday afternoon for a response to the endorsement but did not hear back before publication.
