At a rally in Greensboro, NC, on Tuesday evening, former President Donald Trump made yet another direct appeal to Arab and Muslim American voters, portraying himself as a candidate opposed to wars in Muslim-majority countries.
Reading from a teleprompter, Trump asked, “Why would Muslims support lying Kamala Harris when she embraces Muslim-hating and very dumb person Liz Cheney?”
He then went off-script, delivering insults aimed at the former Wyoming Republican congresswoman, who has endorsed Harris.
Cheney broke with Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot, voting to impeach him the next week for “incitement of insurrection.”
Returning to his prepared remarks, Trump highlighted Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, accusing him of bringing “years of war and death to the Middle East.” The elder Cheney, Trump said, “killed” many Arabs and Muslims.
Trump continued, “Why would an Arab want to vote for someone that has Liz Cheney as her hero?”
The Republican presidential nominee, who has said that he thinks “Islam hates us” and initiated a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries soon after taking office in 2017, described Harris’s campaigning with Cheney as “a great insult to Muslims all over the world.”
Tuesday’s remarks marked the second consecutive day Trump has tried to appeal to Arab and Muslim audiences by linking Harris to Cheney, who he has labeled a warmonger. On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Cheney “wants to go to War with every Muslim Country known to mankind.”
Trump’s outreach to Arab and Muslim voters, some of whom have warmed to his candidacy, is among the more surprising developments of the 2024 presidential race, now in its final two weeks. It signals how both the Trump and Harris campaigns are breaking with convention in a dash for undecided voters, particularly in the battleground state of Michigan, home to large Arab and Muslim populations.
A mere .02 percent separates Harris and Trump in Michigan, according to the FiveThirtyEight polling average.
As Trump courts Arab and Muslim voters, the Harris campaign is doubling efforts to win over more strident pro-Israel voters. Some observers believe the Harris campaign sees “staunchly pro-Israel voters” as more persuadable and more likely to vote than Arabs and Muslims.
The Harris campaign is also deploying surrogates like New York Rep. Ritchie Torres to appeal to these voters with messaging that notes that the Harris campaign denied the pro-Palestinian Uncommitted Movement a speaking opportunity at this summer’s Democratic National Convention.
Arif Rafiq is the editor of Globely News. Rafiq has contributed commentary and analysis on global issues for publications such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the New Republic, the New York Times, and POLITICO Magazine.
He has appeared on numerous broadcast outlets, including Al Jazeera English, the BBC World Service, CNN International, and National Public Radio.