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America is full of contradictions. This is the story of one of them: the Arab-Americans who will vote for Donald Trump. 

He’s the man who says immigrants are “poisoning the blood of the country”, who calls them “terrorists”, and who wants a “Muslim ban”.

And yet, in a journey through Michigan, I’ve found they are swinging to him.

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It’s not just a story about the war in the Middle East. It goes beyond the desire to punish Biden and now Harris. It is about much more than the war.

In places like Dearborn or Hamtramck, it doesn’t take long to discover that a dynamic shift in views is taking place and that – as is so often the case – is about a perceived sense of abandonment but here with a particular twist.

A flag depicting the attempted assassination of Trump at a Michigan home
Image:
A flag depicting the attempted assassination of Trump at a Michigan home

My journey began at a local high school. Picture the place you’d imagine in the movies and that’s it.

Red brick outside, rows of lockers inside. The yellow buses, the Stars and Stripes and the pledge of allegiance.

It is the perfect reflection of America but with a diversity that defies the stereotypes, and views that may do too.

The Frontier International Academy is in the heart of Hamtramck, the only Muslim-majority city in America and the students reflect the demographic.

In between the “recess” game of American Football, the first-time voters and second-generation immigrants talk politics.

“We don’t know what she is going to provide, we don’t know what she is going to do. So I think it’s just a safer bet to go for Donald Trump,” 18-year-old Jubran Ali tells me.

Jubran Ali, 18, who thinks Trump is a 'safer bet' than Harris
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Jubran Ali, 18, who thinks Trump is a ‘safer bet’ than Harris

“I’m actually asking people around me to see what they’re voting, and most people are voting for Donald Trump,” Edris Alhady, also 18, says.

Michigan is one of the seven swing states in this country where the White House will be won or lost.

Shifts to the left or the right among small margins of voters will determine which way the country goes.

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In 2016, Trump was the first Republican to win Michigan since 1988. He beat Hillary Clinton by fewer than 11,000 votes.

Four years later, in 2020, Joe Biden won the state by only 154,188 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast – a 2.8% margin of victory.

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Michigan has the highest number of Arab-Americans in America. They represent a key voting bloc – one which the Democratic Party may have taken for granted.

Amer Ghalib is the mayor of Hamtramck. He is member of the Democratic Party and his office reflects his political roots- a photo of him with President Joe Biden sits prominently on his desk.

But something profound has happened since that snap was taken.

On Friday Mayor Ghalib welcomed Donald Trump to the city – a visit which came weeks after he endorsed the former president.

Mayor Amer Ghalib, a Democrat who has endorsed the former president
Image:
Mayor Amer Ghalib, a Democrat who has endorsed the former president

“Why Trump?” I asked.

“Well… it’s a combination of two things. Disappointment and hope. Disappointment that the current administration and how they are handling things locally or internationally, and hope that the new administration, led by Trump, will do something different.”

Our conversation was revealing in many ways. I’d come to this city expecting to hear anger about American policy in the Middle East. After all, the people here have deep existing ties to the region.

But only now was it obvious that the Arab-American shift right is also a consequence of the gradual leftward drift by the Democrats.

It’s about the real war in the Middle East, but it’s about culture wars too.

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Last year an attempt to fly a pride flag on city property was blocked by the mayor and his team.

“There is so much aggression and attempts to enforce certain values on the majority of this community,” Mayor Ghalib said, “…on schools, on public properties, city hall and the Democratic Party is not doing anything to prevent that shift in dynamics.”

I asked if anyone from Kamala Harris’s team had been in touch about his concerns before or since his endorsement of Trump.”No. No,” he said.

“Does that surprise you?”

“They think I’m a fake Democrat. All my life here I voted Democrat.”

Trump’s visit to the city is the culmination of groundwork by members of Team Trump for months, an indication of how important they see this state and this demographic.

So what about Trump’s pro-Israel stance? As he arrived in Detroit last week he praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Well, I don’t think there’s anything worse than what’s happening now,” the mayor said.

It’s a sentiment echoed here. The idea that no one can be worse than the Democrats on Israel-Gaza, and that domestically – on social issues and the economy – Trump would be better for this community.

Drive west out of Hamtramck through the Detroit suburbs and you reach Dearborn.

About half the population here is Arab-American, most from Lebanon. Over coffee with local environmental activist Samraa Luqman, a conversation that should alarm the Harris campaign.

Samraa Luqman, who voted for Clinton in 2016 and wrote in Sanders' name in 2020
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Samraa Luqman, who voted for Clinton in 2016 and wrote in Sanders’s name in 2020

She tells me that she voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, she wrote Bernie Sanders’s name onto the ballot in 2020. And this year?

“I’m voting for Trump,” Samraa says. “Why?” I ask.

“The genocide. Policy-wise, I don’t like any of the Republican policies, to be frank, at all… I will still vote for him because one thing I hate more than all those other policies is genocide… And that’s the sentiment of an entire community.”

I asked what made her think Trump would be any better for the Arab cause.

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“Trump is a wild card… will he do exactly what Kamala does or worse or better? But I know for sure what the Democrats are doing and they’re intending to continue it.”

This journey through communities that feel now forgotten and unheard ends for me where it started for them – at Detroit’s old Ford factory which drew so many Middle Eastern immigrants here generations ago.

There I met the local Yemeni-American Democratic Party caucus leader with a startling conclusion.

“I think the damage is great. I assure you that it’s not just about Michigan. This is a nationwide phenomena,” he said.

“I am very worried,” Abdulhakim Alsadeh said.

Abdulhakim Alsadeh
Image:
Abdulhakim Alsadeh

I ask him if he thinks the Democratic Party has messed up this campaign.

“Yes, I believe so. I really do,” he said. “The Republican nominee, former president Donald Trump, reached out to the Yemeni-American community. They sat with him. They talked with him.”

“Everybody is concerned,” he said.

It won’t take many to swing this state and streamline the path to the White House.

Here, through all the contradictions, many are swinging to Trump.

Freelance producer Ahmed Baider contributed to this report

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Tyler Robinson charged with murder of Charlie Kirk – and prosecutors seek death penalty

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Tyler Robinson charged with murder of Charlie Kirk - and prosecutors seek death penalty

Tyler Robinson has been charged with the murder of right-wing US influencer Charlie Kirk.

The 22-year-old, from Washington, Utah, was charged with aggravated murder, weapon, and obstruction of justice offences ahead of a court appearance later on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty and that Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger of the alleged murder weapon.

A note was also found under his keyboard which said: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to a charging document from prosecutors.

It is also alleged that the suspect ordered his roommate to delete “incriminating texts” about the killing and to stay silent if questioned by police.

When his roommate texted to ask if he was the “one who did it”, Robinson replied: “I am, I’m sorry,” prosecutors allege.

Robinson is said to have written in another text: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

He also allegedly wrote he had been planning the shooting for just over a week.

Tyler Robinson. Pic: Utah Governor's Office
Image:
Tyler Robinson. Pic: Utah Governor’s Office

Kirk, 31, was killed at one of his rallies at Utah Valley University last Wednesday.

The political activist, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, died after being shot in the neck with a bullet.

County attorney Jeff Gray said “aggravating factors” in the killing included that the “defendant is believed to have targeted Charlie Kirk based on his political expression and did so knowing children were present and would witness the homicide”.

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The obstruction of justice charges relate to allegations that Robinson disposed of the weapon used in the killing, along with clothing he is said to have worn at the time.

Robinson has been held without bail since his arrest.

Investigators have spoken to Robinson’s relatives and have carried out a search at his family home, 240 miles (385km) southwest of where the shooting took place.

Charlie Kirk moments before he was shot. Pic: Reuters/Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune
Image:
Charlie Kirk moments before he was shot. Pic: Reuters/Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune

Mr Gray said Robinson had accused Kirk of “spreading hate” during a conversation with his father. He also allegedly described the university as a “stupid venue” for the influencer to hold an event.

After the shooting, the county attorney said the suspect confessed to his parents after they confronted him, telling them he shot Kirk because “there is too much evil in the guy”.

Robinson’s mother told police that her son had become more political and had “started to lean more to the left” in the past year or so, Mr Gray said.

He added that the 22-year-old had become more “pro-gay and trans-rights oriented”, according to his parents.

His mother said he had started to date his roommate, who was “transitioning genders”, prompting “discussions” with his father who had very different political views.

Robinson allegedly wrote in another message to his roommate that “since Trump got into office [my father] has been pretty diehard Maga”.

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FBI director Kash Patel shouts at Democrat senators over Charlie Kirk and Jeffrey Epstein during oversight hearing

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FBI director Kash Patel shouts at Democrat senators over Charlie Kirk and Jeffrey Epstein during oversight hearing

The FBI director has shouted at Democratic senators during a hearing, taking questions on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Jeffrey Epstein and the firing of agents.

Kash Patel was testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee for the first oversight hearing of his tenure as director of the US federal law enforcement bureau.

During the hearing on Tuesday, Mr Patel defended the FBI’s handling of the investigation into the killing of Mr Kirk, as well as his social media post saying that a suspect had been arrested, before that person was ultimately released.

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“Could I have been more careful in my verbiage and included ‘a’ subject instead of ‘the’ subject? Sure,” he said of the post.

Democratic senator Cory Booker opened his questioning by accusing Patel of lying about firing FBI agents out of retribution for political investigations.

Five FBI agents and top-level executives were known to have been summarily fired last month, according to the Associated Press.

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Booker accused Patel of making the US 'weaker and less safe'. Pic: AP
Image:
Booker accused Patel of making the US ‘weaker and less safe’. Pic: AP

Mr Booker said that the director “pushed out senior FBI agents with decades of knowledge and experience”, and added: “You’ve shifted the agency’s priorities primarily to pursuing Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.

“I believe you have made our country weaker and less safe.”

Mr Patel responded that “you don’t get to say that America is not safer under this leadership”, and said that Mr Booker’s “rant of false information does not bring this country together”, prompting the Democrat to raise his voice.

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The two then shouted at each other before committee chair and Republican senator Chuck Grassley banged his gavel to interrupt them.

“I’ve watched him talk over us, and you’ve never once criticised him for us,” Mr Booker said to the chair as he got up to leave the room. “He has been really disrespectful to senator after senator.”

Mr Patel also clashed with Adam Schiff over Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: AP
Image:
Mr Patel also clashed with Adam Schiff over Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: AP

Mr Patel also clashed with Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who questioned the FBI and Trump administration’s handling of questions relating to the deceased paedophile financier Epstein.

The director accused him of “the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate” as they shouted at each other, and said “you are a political buffoon, at best”.

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Mr Patel, a former lawyer who has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories, was controversially nominated to be the FBI director by US President Donald Trump last year.

He was narrowly confirmed by the Senate in a 51-49 vote in February. Two Republicans voted against his nomination.

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In pictures: Memorable moments between the royals and US presidents

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In pictures: Memorable moments between the royals and US presidents

American presidents have travelled to Britain to meet the Royal Family for more than 100 years.

Donald Trump will meet King Charles for the second time when he arrives in Windsor on Wednesday, having been hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II on his previous state visit during his first term.

For the King, it will be the first time he welcomes a US president as monarch.

Some presidents’ visits have run more smoothly than others. Here, we look back at some of the most memorable.

Woodrow Wilson was the first US president to visit the Royal Family while in office, making the long journey on SS Washington in December 1918 – weeks after the First World War came to an end.

President Woodrow Wilson and King George V outside Buckingham Palace. Pic: PA
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President Woodrow Wilson and King George V outside Buckingham Palace. Pic: PA

Arriving in London on Boxing Day, thousands of people lined the route to Buckingham Palace, where he appeared on the balcony alongside King George V and Queen Mary after chants of “we want Wilson” from the crowd.

King George VI also made history when he met Franklin D Roosevelt, after becoming the first reigning British monarch to travel to the US in June 1939.

King George VI and Franklin Roosevelt in Washington DC. Pic: AP
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King George VI and Franklin Roosevelt in Washington DC. Pic: AP

King George VI with Sara D. Roosevelt and New York governor Herbert Lehman eating hot dogs in Hyde Park. Pic: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
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King George VI with Sara D. Roosevelt and New York governor Herbert Lehman eating hot dogs in Hyde Park. Pic: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library

People flocked to greet him and the Queen Mother as they rode through the streets of Washington DC. After state dinner formalities at the White House, they travelled to New York, where they enjoyed a more relaxed hot dog picnic in Hyde Park.

Harry Truman was the first US president to meet Queen Elizabeth – while she was still a princess in 1951.

Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by Harry Truman in Washington DC in 1951. Pic: PA
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Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by Harry Truman in Washington DC in 1951. Pic: PA

Seven years after she took the throne, Dwight D Eisenhower met her at Balmoral, where a young Princess Anne and Prince Charles were pictured alongside him, wearing kilts.

Dwight Eisenhower with the Queen, Prince Philip, a young Prince Charles, and Princess Anne at Balmoral in August 1959. Pic: AP
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Dwight Eisenhower with the Queen, Prince Philip, a young Prince Charles, and Princess Anne at Balmoral in August 1959. Pic: AP

John F Kennedy met the then-35-year-old Queen Elizabeth in June 1961, just six months into his presidency.

The Queen poses with John and Jackie Kennedy in June 1961. Pic: AP
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The Queen poses with John and Jackie Kennedy in June 1961. Pic: AP

A state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace, with the glamorous visit dramatised in the Netflix series The Crown.

Just two years later, on 22 November 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

Gerald Ford didn’t visit the UK during his two-and-a-half years in office, but the Queen met him on a visit to the US in July 1976.

Gerald Ford dancing with the Queen in Washington. Pic: Rex
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Gerald Ford dancing with the Queen in Washington. Pic: Rex

The pair danced together at a White House state dinner, but with unfortunate timing, the band played The Lady Is A Tramp just as the Queen took to the floor – a now infamous faux pas.

Jimmy Carter met the late Queen at Buckingham Palace in May 1977.

Jimmy Carter and the Queen in London in May 1977. Pic: AP
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Jimmy Carter and the Queen in London in May 1977. Pic: AP

His more memorable interaction was with the Queen Mother, however, when he abandoned protocol and greeted her with a kiss on the lips.

According to biographer William Shawcross, she later wrote: “I took a sharp step backwards – not quite far enough.”

Among the most memorable meetings of a British monarch and a US president was that of Ronald Reagan and the late Queen.

When he came to Windsor Castle in 1982, the pair were famously pictured riding horses together in the grounds.

He met her a further three times in London throughout the 1980s and she gave him an honorary knighthood when he left the White House in 1989.

George HW Bush, wasted no time in making the Queen’s acquaintance, travelling to the UK in May 1989, just five months after he was sworn in.

The Queen and Prince Philip with George HW Bush and his wife Barbara in May 1991. Pic: AP
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The Queen and Prince Philip with George HW Bush and his wife Barbara in May 1991. Pic: AP

There were a few red faces when Her Majesty travelled to the US to visit him a year later.

As she stood up to give a speech on the White House lawn, she was partially obscured behind a cluster of microphones that had been arranged for the much taller Mr Bush. He later reassured reporters that the Queen laughed off the incident.

George W Bush‘s state visit in November 2003 was met with huge protests over the Iraq War. Tens of thousands of people crowded into Trafalgar Square, where an effigy of the president was toppled by demonstrators.

The Queen and George W Bush at the White House in May 2007. Pic: AP
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The Queen and George W Bush at the White House in May 2007. Pic: AP

The protests did not appear to affect the ‘special relationship’, however, with the Queen visiting the US to meet Mr Bush in 2007, and him returning to the UK to see her a year later.

Barack Obama first met the Queen on a visit to the UK in 2009 when his wife, First Lady Michelle, made headlines for breaking royal protocol and giving Her Majesty a hug.

The Queen and Prince Philip alongside the Obamas at a state banquet in London in May 2011. Pic: AP
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The Queen and Prince Philip alongside the Obamas at a state banquet in London in May 2011. Pic: AP

The Queen greets Barack Obama during his final UK visit in November 2016. Pic: AP
Image:
The Queen greets Barack Obama during his final UK visit in November 2016. Pic: AP

The Obamas received the full pomp of an official state visit in May 2011.

They visited a final time during the president’s second term in April 2016, when Marine One landed in the grounds of Windsor Castle and the royal couple walked to greet them.

Donald Trump first met the King while he was still Prince of Wales in December 2019, when his mother hosted a state visit to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Donald Trump and the Queen in July 2018. Pic: AP
Image:
Donald Trump and the Queen in July 2018. Pic: AP

Donald Trump and the Queen during 75th D-Day anniversary commemorations in June 2019. Pic: AP
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Donald Trump and the Queen during 75th D-Day anniversary commemorations in June 2019. Pic: AP

His trip was met with huge protests in London, which memorably featured a giant ‘blimp’ that depicted him as a baby.

Despite being accused of breaching royal protocol on several occasions, he described the Queen as an “incredible woman” in one of his speeches.

When Joe Biden visited Windsor Castle in June 2021 it was the first time the Queen had met a head of state alone – following the death of her husband Prince Philip.

The Queen with Joe and Dr Jill Biden at Windsor Castle in 2021. Pic: PA
Image:
The Queen with Joe and Dr Jill Biden at Windsor Castle in 2021. Pic: PA

It was also the first state visit of any foreign leader after the coronavirus pandemic saw Her Majesty halt royal duties and quarantine at Windsor as part of ‘HMS Bubble’.

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