Van Jones, a former Obama official, warned on Thursday that Biden’s “challenge” will be to win back the trust of young, Arab and Muslim voters who have resisted supporting Israel amid the Gaza war.
President Biden is facing an election revolt among Michigan’s Arab and Muslim voters enraged by his continued support for Israel, with some accusing him of enabling genocide.
Michigan’s Arab Americans have traditionally been reliable Democrats, and in 2020 Biden won more than 75% of the vote in the Arab-majority city of Dearborn.
But some members of the community have launched an “Abandon Biden” campaign to protest Mr. Biden’s response to Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza, and that vote blocking is now under threat. There is.
Thursday night’s episode of CNN’s Erin Burnett Outfront focused on Biden’s attempt to win back the trust of Arab American voters by visiting Michigan in person.
In addition to students voting for the first time, the special features a former field organizer for Biden’s campaign who said he would never vote for the president again, considering him complicit in the deaths of Palestinians.
Asked if he was concerned about whether such a move would help former President Donald Trump’s re-election bid, a former Biden campaign staffer said: “We’ve seen four years of President Trump, we’ve seen four years of President Biden, and people don’t see much difference between the two presidents.”
Mr. Burnett turned to Mr. Jones and asked him about a former campaign staffer who opposed Mr. Biden over his foreign policy in Gaza.
Burnett recalled telling a CNN reporter in Michigan that he would “never vote for Biden again, even though I know it might help Trump.” He called Biden “not a person you can trust.” Van, how big of an issue is this for Biden right now? ”
“That’s a big problem for him right now,” Jones replied. “There are four syllables aimed at him: ‘Genocide Joe.’ That’s what we’re hearing from young people, young voters in the Arab-American community.”
Biden added that it is possible to turn things around, but it will take serious effort.
“I think he can turn things around, but he has to be honest right now. There will be disappointment on the base with his handling of the war in Gaza,” Jones said. “The reality is that Joe Biden has deep ties and long friendships with the Muslim community and the Arab community. He could go back there, but right now his job is a good fit for him.”
