Lebanese American leader Albert Abbas, whose brother owns the Dearborn, Michigan restaurant that Trump visited in the final days of the campaign, stood next to the former president and made speeches in support of him during this visit.

Abbas says it is now “too early” to judge Trump and that “we all need to take a deep breath, take a step back and let him do the work he needs to do to achieve this peace.”

“I just want you to think about what the alternative is,” Abbas said, referring to the current administration’s stance on Israel’s war in Gaza and occupation of Lebanon. “What did you expect me or most members of the public to do?” he added.

Beyond promising peace in the Middle East, Trump offered few concrete details about how he plans to achieve it. The transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Throughout the campaign, surrogates often focused on criticizing Harris rather than outlining her agenda. Visuals of the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, which have collectively claimed tens of thousands of deaths, have fueled anger in Arab and Muslim communities over President Biden and Harris’ support for Israel.

Amin Hashmi, a Pakistani American who voted for Trump in Michigan, urged him to stick to his campaign pledges to bring peace.

Hashmi called on Trump to “keep your promise to the people of Arab origin in Michigan” and said, “I am disappointed but not surprised.”

Concerned people in the community specifically pointed to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who was nominated as Trump’s ambassador to Israel. Huckabee has consistently rejected the idea of ​​a Palestinian state in Israeli-captured territory, strongly supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposing a two-state solution, claiming that “there is actually no such thing” when referring to the descendants of Palestinians. People who lived in Palestine before the establishment of Israel.

While Huckabee has generated the most concern among community members, other Trump Cabinet members have spoken out strongly in favor of Israel over its targeting of Hamas following the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds hostage.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who was nominated for secretary of state, opposed a ceasefire in the war, stating that he wanted Israel to “destroy every element of Hamas it could capture.”

Trump’s selection as ambassador to the United Nations led New York Representative Elise Stefanik to question university presidents about antisemitism on campuses. He also opposed funding the UN Relief and Works Agency, which oversees aid to Gaza.

The Republican Jewish Coalition, which organized for Trump in Michigan, has openly supported most of Trump’s Cabinet picks. Sam Markstein, the group’s political director, described the proposed lineup as a “pro-Israel dream team” and added that “people are excited about the choices.” He praised Trump’s pro-Israel record as “second to none.”

“The days of this empty-mouthed, trying to get support from both sides of this issue are over,” Markstein said. “The way to secure the region is peace through force, and that means no daylight between Israel and the United States.”

Among the reasons some Arab American voters supported Trump was that they believed his prominent supporters would play a key role in the next administration.

Massad Boulos, a Lebanese businessman and father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany, has led efforts to engage the Arab American community, holding dozens of meetings in Michigan and other areas with large Arab populations. Some sessions included former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell, who is respected by those who meet him.

Neither Boulos nor Grenell have yet been nominated for the incoming administration, but Grenell was once viewed as a potential secretary of state before Rubio was elected. Boulos declined to comment and Grenell did not respond to a request for comment.

“Some people expected Trump to be different and thought Massad would play a major role,” said Osama Siblani, publisher of Dearborn-based Arab American News, which has refused to endorse a candidate in the presidential race.

Siblani himself rejected a proposed meeting with Trump after the announcement of his disapproval.

“But now people come to us and say, ‘Look what you did,'” Siblani said. “We had to make a choice between having someone actively shoot and kill you or having someone threaten to do it. “We had to punish the person who shot and killed us at that time.”