Biden aides visit Arab-American leaders in Michigan as pressure mounts over Gaza
White House officials will travel to Dearborn, Michigan, on Thursday to meet with Arab American leaders to discuss the war in Gaza and concerns about Islamophobia at home, as President Biden faces growing Democratic discontent over his refusal to call for a ceasefire -the-fire.
Last week, the Biden team sent Julie Chávez Rodríguez, the president's campaign manager, to meet with community leaders in Dearborn, a Detroit suburb with a large population of Arab and Muslim Americans. The city's mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, and several other state lawmakers declined to meet with Ms. Chávez Rodríguez after coming under pressure from community leaders angry with Mr. Biden over the war in Gaza. Mr. Hammoud instead demanded a meeting with foreign policy officials — not political officials.
Thursday's meeting, which was confirmed by two people familiar with the plans who insisted on anonymity, is expected to be attended by senior government officials. They include Samantha Power, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development; Tom Perez, the director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; and Jon Finer, a deputy national security adviser.
Democrats in Michigan have launched a campaign to oppose Biden in the state's Feb. 27 primary, urging voters to vote “uncommitted.” Mr. Biden does not face a serious challenge in his party's primary race, so the effort is a way for Arab-American and liberal Democrats to express frustration with the administration's approach to Israel in a key battleground state.
Biden has struggled with persistently low approval ratings among key parts of his coalition, including young voters and Black voters — a decline that some Democrats attribute in part to his handling of the Middle East conflict.
In recent weeks, Mr. Biden has faced protests at numerous events, including fundraisers he attended in New York on Wednesday.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, declined on Wednesday to confirm the planned meeting or acknowledge that Mr. Biden had suffered any political damage among Arab-American voters.
“We continue to talk to people in the Jewish community, obviously the Arab community and the Muslim community,” she said during a news conference on Air Force One. “We believe it is important to hear from these communities.”
Dearborn has one of the highest percentages of Arab Americans in the country. Census figures show that roughly 54 percent are Arab-Americans, a figure that experts say is a significant undercount.