The former mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, who became the first Arab and Muslim-American elected official to endorse Donald Trump for the presidency in 2024, has now accepted a role as his adviser on Arab-American affairs.
Amer Ghalib announced the news on his Facebook account late Wednesday evening, local time, in Washington, DC.
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Trump for appointing me as his Envoy and Advisor for Arab American Affairs, and for his continued trust and support," Ghalib wrote.
"While I cannot promise to resolve every challenge facing Arab Americans across the United States, I can promise to be a strong and dedicated voice for Arab American communities in the White House, ensuring that their concerns are heard and their perspectives are represented," he added.
Ghalib is currently senior advisor for strategic partnerships at AmeriCorps, a federal agency that promotes civic engagement among Americans. He took that position after it became clear Republican senators would not support him for the role Trump rewarded him with for the endorsement: US ambassador to Kuwait, a critical ally with several military bases in the Gulf.
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Ghalib's outspoken criticism of Israel and other comments on social media from his days as a private citizen emerged as a major obstacle to his Senate confirmation, particularly after being amplified by the staunchly pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and some right-wing news outlets.
Middle East Eye reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
'Direct access whenever I need'
Speaking to Middle East Eye from Michigan on Thursday, Ghalib did not define the parameters of his new role, but said that it is not a full-time position, and that he would "meet the president and White House staff as needed to discuss our concerns".
"The president granted me a direct access to him whenever I need and that’s what matters the most," Ghalib said. "This... position never existed in any previous administration."
A physician-turned-politician in 2021 when he assumed leadership of a historic all-Muslim city council in the Detroit suburb, the Yemeni-born Ghalib shook up the 2024 presidential election with his endorsement of Trump, whose previous tenure at the White House was renowned for the Muslim travel ban and the close ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for whom he unilaterally recognised all of Jerusalem as well as the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
By late October 2024, Arab and Muslim neighbourhoods in Michigan, spurred also by a movement called "Arab Americans for Trump", began flipping from Democratic votes to Republican ones, as anger swelled over Joe Biden's handling of Israel's assault on Gaza.
Trump campaigned on a platform to end all wars, and visited Michigan's Arab-American hub, the city of Dearborn, while his opponent, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, did not.
But since then, Trump has only secured a superficial ceasefire in Gaza and has joined Israel in an unpopular war on Iran.
Domestically, the political climate for Arabs and Muslims has been repeatedly described to MEE as worse than the post-9/11 period, as Republicans, including the president himself, ramp up anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim rhetoric in the face of rising progressive figures like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
At his most recent 45-minute meeting with the president, Ghalib told MEE that he "started the discussion... on the immigration issues [and] building bridges with the Arab American communities", in addition to "how to put a limit to hate speech done by some radical groups".
I found an opportunity to continue having direct access to the president so I can deliver the people’s concerns to him and try to get them addressed," Ghalib told MEE in a text message exchange.
"It’s going to add more work and more stress to me, but I’m willing to go through it - perhaps I can help and continue to be the voice of our community in the White House."
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