‘The president was played’: Formerly pro-Trump Arab American group ready to ditch GOP

Palestinian-American academic Bishara Bahbah – the chair of a group once known as “Arab Americans for Trump” – hammered President Donald Trump on Saturday over the U.S. war against Iran, which he argued was launched at the behest of Israel.

“I believe that the president was played. Early on during the war, the president had admitted publicly that he was told that Iran was about to attack the United States. As a result, he went into this war,” Bahbah said during an appearance on CNN Saturday.

“The story in Washington is not very clear. Clearly, his advisers have not told him – with the exception of Vice President JD Vance – what he needed to hear.”

Arab Americans for Trump aggressively campaigned for Trump in the 2024 election, and helped the president secure a victory in states including Michigan and Arizona. However, the group rebranded last year after Trump’s proposal to take “ownership” of the Gaza Strip.

Bahbah was asked whether he regretted voting for Trump and advocating for other Arab Americans to support him. His response did not bode well for the Republican Party’s election prospects with Arab Americans this November.

“I can tell you that our community at the present time is up in arms, our community is not happy with the current promises of this administration, and our community is really lining up to vote, potentially, quite differently in the upcoming midterm election,” Bahbah said.