Biden's supporters changing perspectives amid US' Gaza war response
5 Min Read
Many of Biden's supporters are expressing concern regarding his administration's wartime policies amid his current rhetoric inflaming hatred and discrimination in the US against Muslims.
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Protesters during a pro-Palestinian rally in Seattle, Washington, US (AP)
Palestinian-American comedian Maysoon Zayid was a big supporter of US President Joe Biden during his presidential campaign, even speaking on a call set up by the Biden campaign featuring Arab women and Biden's team even praised her endorsement in a press release.
Zayid now says she can no longer support him for 2024 in light of his response to the war on Gaza, as she says: “The man broke my heart”.
She expressed fear for Palestinians and Muslims in the US who are currently facing discrimination and hatred since the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 and stated that Biden is just adding fuel to the fire through his rhetoric.
“I never in my life thought the empathizer-in-chief would sound the way he did. The Palestinians were given no humanity,” she said.
“Joe Biden should spend every breath he has condemning Israel’s genocide with the same zeal he condemned Hamas’ massacre of civilians, that same zeal. And we get nothing. 1,000 children are dead, and we get nothing.”
Read next: Gazan genocide: 'Israel' murders 800+ in Gaza hospital bombing
Democratic donor, who attended the Eid al-Fitr at the White House this year, Hala Hijazi, stated she is contemplating leaving the national finance network, which supported Biden over his handling of the matter.
“I feel betrayed. I feel like my humanity is not equal to anyone else’s humanity”, she said, adding that many of her family members have been killed in Gaza and that “my family is going to be dead [in the coming days] and I can’t be silent.”
The 'You're all America' lie
According to Politico, exit polls show that a majority of Muslims voted for Biden in 2020 during his presidential campaign, and now in over a dozen interviews with Politico, Arab-American and Muslim leaders show concern that some voters will either skip the election or vote for a third-party candidate.
Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of the Muslim advocacy group Emgage and former US State Department official, said: “The voters are heartbroken. They don’t want to vote for Trump. But right now they’re asking themselves, ‘How can we vote for the other side given the refusal to call upon Israel to abide by a ceasefire and the continued rhetoric that we’re seeing here domestically?’” adding: “What I’m most concerned about is actually not whether they’re going to vote for Trump or not, but whether these voters are going to stay home.”
Alzayat claims that his team “communicated directly” with the Biden campaign concerning worries over 2024 and the administration’s wartime decisions.
Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, argued: “The president and this administration have been unequivocal: There is no place for Islamophobia, xenophobia or any of the vile racism we have seen in recent weeks,” adding: “As MAGA Republicans continue to run on an openly Islamaphobic platform — including renewed support for Donald Trump’s Muslim ban — the stakes of next year’s election could not be more consequential.”
The only time Biden mentioned Palestinians was when he said Hamas “does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination” and allegedly used “Palestinian civilians as human shields.”
Biden also mentioned the recent hate crime in Chicago last week, in which a tenant killed an 8-year-old boy.
“I know many of you in the Muslim American community or the Arab American community, the Palestinian American community and so many others are outraged and hurting, saying to yourselves, ‘Here we go again,’ with Islamophobia and distrust we saw after 9/11,” he stated.
“To all of you hurting — those of you who are hurting, I want you to know: I see you,” he expressed.
'Let's Go Brandon'
Washington, D.C.-based humanitarian worker, Hani Almadhoun, said a WhatsApp group made for pro-Biden activists and fundraisers was once called “Arab Americans for Biden,” but since October 7, it has been changed to “Arab Americans Forward.”
He claims the group members are infuriated with Biden's decision-making, calling the group a “basically a Let’s Go Brandon situation.”
"Let's Go Brandon" refers to the political chant and meme that is a substitute for cursing Joe Biden.
According to Adrian Hemond, a Michigan-based Democratic strategist, a lot of time between now and Election Day exists, allowing voters to change their minds if things take a different turn. He claims that voters are very sympathetic to "Israel" right now.
He does state that the anger among Arab Americans and Muslims in his state could be an obstacle for the president.
“Look, the president’s margin for error is pretty small,” he said. “He’s not in a super strong position for reelection as it stands right now. And anything that potentially makes that worse is a concern for Democrats.”
